Type 2 diabetes is just one of the possible complications of obesity, but it’s serious enough that it can increase your death risk. But new research from the Heart & Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic has found that weight loss surgery can reduce this risk more than other types of medical care.
The outcomes of weight loss surgery
The researchers looked at data from 2,287 people had type 2 diabetes and underwent weight loss surgery and 11,435 controls who had types 2 diabetes and obesity but only received standard medical care.
The four types of weight loss surgery included:
- gastric bypass
- duodenal switch
- adjustable gastric banding
- sleeve gastrectomy
The six main outcomes that the scientists looked at were:
- kidney disease
- heart failure
- atrial fibrillation
- coronary artery events
- cerebrovascular events
- death
The results were astounding: Those who had weight loss surgery had a 40% lower risk of six main outcomes over the 8 years after surgery.
Although a huge weight loss certainly would explain the decreased risk for these six main outcomes, the researchers point out that it may not be the only factor.
“There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that there are beneficial metabolic and hormonal changes after these surgical procedures that are independent of weight loss,” explains Dr. Steven Nissen, the chief academic officer at the Heart & Vascular Institute. “Now that we’ve seen these remarkable results, a well-designed randomized controlled trial is needed to definitely determine whether metabolic surgery can reduce the incidence of major heart problems in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity.”
Limitations of the study
The researchers admit that there are some limitations to this research.
- Observation doesn’t prove causality.
- The database could have had biased results.
- The study looked at prescriptions for medications, but that doesn’t mean the medications were actually taken.
