Weight Loss Surgery Reduces Diabetes Risk

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Weight Loss Surgery Reduces Diabetes Risk


Weight loss surgery can dramatically reduce the odds of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a major study.

Doctors followed nearly 5,000 people as part of a trial to assess the health impact of the procedure.

The results, published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, showed an 80% reduction in type 2 diabetes in those having surgery.

The UK NHS (National health Service) is considering offering the procedure to tens of thousands of people to prevent diabetes.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are closely tied – the bigger someone is, the greater the risk of the condition.

The inability to control blood sugar levels can result in blindness, amputations and nerve damage.

Around a tenth of NHS budgets are spent on managing the condition.


What is bariatric surgery?

Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese and carrying an excessive amount of body fat.

This type of surgery is available on the NHS only to treat people with potentially life-threatening obesity when other treatments have not worked.

Around 8,000 people a year currently receive the treatment.

The two most common types of weight loss surgery are:

Gastric band, where a band is used to reduce the size of the stomach so a smaller amount of food is required to make someone feel full

Gastric bypass, where the digestive system is re-routed past most of the stomach so less food is digested to make someone feel full


The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence is considering a huge expansion of obesity surgery in the NHS in order to cut rates of type 2 diabetes.

Current guidance says surgery is a possible option for people with a BMI above 35 who have other health conditions.

But new draft guidelines argue much thinner people should be considered on a case by case basis and those with a BMI of 35 should automatically consider surgery.

Diabetes UK says around 460,000 people will meet the criteria for an automatic assessment under the guidance.

But the total jumps nearer to 850,000 when those with a BMI of 30 are also considered, it says.

NICE anticipates figures in the tens of thousands. However, the surgery can cost between £3,000 and £15,000 and the move by NICE has raised concerns that the NHS will not be able to afford the treatment, even if there are savings in the longer term.


Obesity statistics

  • One in four adults in England is obese
  • A further 42% of men are classed as overweight
  • The figure for women is 32%
  • A BMI of 30-35 cuts life expectancy by up to four years
  • A BMI of 40 or more cuts life expectancy by up to 10 years
  • Obesity costs the NHS £5.1bn every year

    Source: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence

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