A group of 50 international scientists and medical experts say that bariatric surgery should be opened to a wider range of people and be considered an option to combat Type 2 diabetes, according to an article recently published by the Los Angeles Times.
Bariatric surgery, which helps obese people lose weight, has shown to help many patients with Type 2 diabetes lessen or eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Some have called bariatric surgery a ‘cure’ for Type 2 diabetes, but there has been some controversy recently about that terminology. Many who have had the surgery have stayed symptom free for a substantial amount of time, but it has not worked for some and others have had the disease reemerge after a period of time.
The ‘consensus statement’ released by the group of scientists and medical experts urges surgeons and healthcare providers paying for the surgeries to relax the guidelines to include more people. Currently, patients need to have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more in order to qualify for the surgery. However, since the surgery also improves metabolic function, the group says it should be considered as an option for people with Type 2 diabetes that are unable to maintain blood sugar control through diet, exercise and medicine.
For example, Type 2 diabetes is much more prevalent among people of Asian descent than it is among Caucasians. However, people of Asian descent rarely reach that 35 on the BMI needed to meet the guidelines for the surgery, according to doctors quoted in the article. Bariatric surgery should be on the table as a treatment option for people with Type 2 diabetes that do not meet the current criteria.
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