News Wales > Health > Swansea probes why tummy surgery cures diabetes
Swansea probes why tummy surgery cures diabetes
31/5/2007
Scientists at Swansea University School of Medicine have been awarded more than £93,000 by the BUPA Foundation to investigate why weight-reducing surgery can lead to the almost immediate disappearance of diabetes in patients.
95% of morbidly obese people - those with a Body Mass Index of over 40 - have Type 2 diabetes, sometimes known as maturity-onset diabetes.
However, nearly 80% of patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs and small intestines find that their diabetes disappears within two to three days - before any weight loss has occurred.
Senior Clinical Lecturer Dr Jeffrey Stephens is leading the research at the School of Medicine's Diabetes Research Group. He said: "Although patients with Type 2 diabetes do not always require insulin treatment, the average diabetic needs about
30 units of insulin a day to control blood sugar levels.
"For obese patients, this can rise to 200 units a day. To go from such a high level of insulin-dependency to not needing insulin in a matter of a few days is a dramatic result, and we need to understand the reasons why this happens."
The research team, which includes Professor Steve Bain and Professor Rhys Williams from Swansea University's School of Medicine, and Professor John Baxter, a bariatric surgeon with Swansea NHS Trust, are focusing attention on a protein known as Glucagon Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1), which is produced in the small intestine.
Dr Stephens said: "Overweight people who have Type 2 diabetes tend to have lower levels of GLP1 and we are investigating whether these levels return to normal after
bariatric surgery. Basically, we want to know whether reducing the size of the small intestine and stomach restores production of GLP1, and why this should be the case."
High blood sugar seen with poorly controlled diabetes may cause lethargy, excessive thirst and susceptibility to infection, and contributes to diabetic complications including premature heart disease, stroke, blindness, and gangrene.
This is very impressive. I read a few years ago that gastric bypass also reduces leptin in the body and decreases appetite. Perhaps the stomach surface uses up leptin or something. I would rather wait until they figure out why bariatric surgery has this result,and find a less invasive way to achieve the same result. Still, this is a real eye opener.
Swansea probes why tummy surgery cures diabetes
31/5/2007
Scientists at Swansea University School of Medicine have been awarded more than £93,000 by the BUPA Foundation to investigate why weight-reducing surgery can lead to the almost immediate disappearance of diabetes in patients.
95% of morbidly obese people - those with a Body Mass Index of over 40 - have Type 2 diabetes, sometimes known as maturity-onset diabetes.
However, nearly 80% of patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs and small intestines find that their diabetes disappears within two to three days - before any weight loss has occurred.
Senior Clinical Lecturer Dr Jeffrey Stephens is leading the research at the School of Medicine's Diabetes Research Group. He said: "Although patients with Type 2 diabetes do not always require insulin treatment, the average diabetic needs about
30 units of insulin a day to control blood sugar levels.
"For obese patients, this can rise to 200 units a day. To go from such a high level of insulin-dependency to not needing insulin in a matter of a few days is a dramatic result, and we need to understand the reasons why this happens."
The research team, which includes Professor Steve Bain and Professor Rhys Williams from Swansea University's School of Medicine, and Professor John Baxter, a bariatric surgeon with Swansea NHS Trust, are focusing attention on a protein known as Glucagon Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1), which is produced in the small intestine.
Dr Stephens said: "Overweight people who have Type 2 diabetes tend to have lower levels of GLP1 and we are investigating whether these levels return to normal after
bariatric surgery. Basically, we want to know whether reducing the size of the small intestine and stomach restores production of GLP1, and why this should be the case."
High blood sugar seen with poorly controlled diabetes may cause lethargy, excessive thirst and susceptibility to infection, and contributes to diabetic complications including premature heart disease, stroke, blindness, and gangrene.
This is very impressive. I read a few years ago that gastric bypass also reduces leptin in the body and decreases appetite. Perhaps the stomach surface uses up leptin or something. I would rather wait until they figure out why bariatric surgery has this result,and find a less invasive way to achieve the same result. Still, this is a real eye opener.
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