Weight loss surgery cuts diabetes risk in very obese

Conclusion This research suggests that weight loss surgery may reduce the risk of developing diabetes in people who are morbidly obese (with an average BMI of 43) compared with no surgery. The beneficial effect appeared to increase over time and at the maximum follow-up period assessed in the study (seven years), the relative risk of developing diabetes had reduced by 80%. There was variation in the risk reduction depending on age, BMI and the type of procedure, but all were beneficial. The study had many strengths, but also some key limitations. The obese participants were sampled from a database that indicated whether or not they had surgery. The comparison group was only matched for age, sex and BMI, so it is likely that there is some other differences between these people which influenced their selection for surgery. For example, it could have been for reasons such as personal choice, inadequate trial of non-surgical measures, or being unsuitable for anaesthesia and surgery. Despite the results being adjusted for various medical confounders that could have an influence, these other unknown and unmeasured differences may have meant the groups had different diabetes risk to begin with. This could make it harder to be certain how much of the difference in diabetes risk is specifically down to the effect of surgery, and how much is due to other influences.   It is also important to recognise that the results do not apply to all people who are categorised as obese. The a...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Medical practice Source Type: news