News headlines around the world read "Obesity Surgery Can Cure Diabetes" after the first randomized controlled study of the effect of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB) on type 2 diabetes was published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
As bariatric and metabolic practitioners we have known this for years. But this study, along with the two landmark studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August 2007 that showed a significant survival benefit for people who have bariatric surgery, provide new and important evidence that can no longer be ignored - bariatric surgery saves lives and can eliminate or dramatically improve disease!
However, despite this evidence, other clinical studies and the endorsement of the Centre for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), many private health insurers continue to restrict access to bariatric surgery. This must change before more lives are lost to obesity, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases.
To download the abstract of the JAMA study, follow this link:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/299/3/316 January 2008
