Weight loss surgery can reduce type 2 diabetes risk, finds study

A study carried out by researchers at the King’s College London (KCL) has found that weight loss surgery can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 80% in obese individuals.

The study, led by Martin Guilford, professor of public health at KCL, looked at the relationship between undergoing bariatric surgery and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in obese adults over a period of seven years.

Guilford and his colleagues used a matched cohort study: matching 2,167 individuals who underwent weight loss surgery, with 2,167 control patients who did not undergo surgery. The patients were compared based on various attributes, including BMI, age and sex.

The results found that over seven years 16.2% of the control group developed type 2 diabetes, compared with just 4.3% of the weight loss – bariatric surgery – group patients.

Commenting on the outcomes Guilford said: “The possible effect of bariatric surgery on type 2 diabetes is of particular importance because 3% of severely obese individuals develop diabetes every year.”

In conclusion to the study he proposed: “Our findings, together with those of previous studies, suggest that bariatric surgery could be a highly effective method for prevention of diabetes in patients with severe obesity.”

The study was published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal.

Rowan Frewin