Gastric Bypass Becoming Common Treatment For Diabetes

Filed in archive Treatment on October 30, 2006

The point of getting a gastric bypass is to lose weight of course, and often, Type 2 diabetics find a relief in symptoms because of the weight loss. Interestingly, many patients have Type 2 diabetes by the time they decide to get the sometimes controversial, potentially dangerous operation.

But now many people are taking it a step further, and using gastric bypass as an actual form of treatment for diabetes.

Most Americans who undergo gastric bypass surgery do it to lose weight but many patients are taking this drastic step to treat a disease that's now becoming an epidemic.

"We now know that if you reverse that obesity problem, that the diabetes goes away, so the cure of diabetes has only been seen by this surgery," said Dr. Edward Mun of Faulkner Hospital.

But like any surgery -- it comes with some risk.

What do you think? Should this be the absolute last option, or is it important to do anything possible to improve your condition?