In an article by Denise Grady with the New York Times, it was reported that an Italian medical research study was recently conducted at the Catholic University in Rome, Italy on Type 2 diabetes. "After two years, the surgical group had complete [type 2 diabetes] remission rates of 75 percent and 95 percent; there were no remissions in patients who received [just] medical treatment."

A second similar American study was performed at the Cleveland Clinic involving 150 patients with Type 2 diabetes that also revealed that bariatric surgery led to remission in diabetic with Type 2 diabetes. However, the remission rates were only between 42 percent and 37 percent, reportedly, because the American study had a "much stricter definition of remission "[than the Italian study]. It is noteworthy that the Cleveland Clinic medical regimen had a 12 percent remission rate.

Patients in the these studies appreciated lower triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and relief from common symptoms of Type 2 diabetes such as excessive thirst and high blood sugars as measured by the Hemoglobin A1C blood test that can record recent stability of blood sugars.

About Gastric Bypass Surgery

Though these two new studies had some variance in outcomes, they both show great promise for a surgical option for treatment of Type 2 diabetes. bariatric surgery, also known as gastric bypass, or lap-band surgery, or stapling, controls how much food one may ingest overtime. People who have bariatric surgery are limited in how much they can eat at one sitting and are also encouraged to avoid fatty foods that can make them feel nauseas, like they have an upset stomach, such as fried foods, nuts and some dairy products like ice cream.

There are some complications associated with Gastric Bypass surgery, including bowel/stomach perforation, infection and possible septicemia from the surgical site, and 1 in 2000 patients die from complications of this surgery. Another major obstacle may be that insurance may not pay for this procedure. Out of pocket expenses may exceed $25,000. It is also important to note that a specific, required change in diet is involved in surgical treatment of obesity. According to a USA Today article by Liz Szabo on the Cleveland Study, surgical patients in this study generally "lost about 60 pounds with a post-surgical body mass index (BMI) of 26." The average pre-surgical BMI for the surgical candidates was 36, while a BMI above 30 in considered obese.

These ground breaking medical research studies offer great hope for people all around the world who suffer with Type 2 diabetes. However, further longitudinal studies are necessary to obtain the full picture of the long-term effects of surgical treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

Adele M. Gill, Copyright 2012 Catholic Online. Distributed by the NEWS CONSORTIUM