Are You Eligible for Weight Loss Surgery With Type 2 Diabetes?
Our eligibility criteria are those applied by NICE and supported by Diabetes UK. We consider Type 2 Diabetic patients eligible for surgery if they have a BMI above 35. This BMI threshold drops to a BMI of 30 if your blood sugar levels are not well managed by a healthy lifestyle and medication. You might also be considered for surgery at a lower BMI if you are from an ethnic group more prone to Type 2 Diabetes, for example, those from an Asian background.
Weight Loss Surgery Options With Type 2 Diabetes
In most cases, our preference for patients with Type 2 Diabetes is gastric bypass. This procedure shows excellent results and over a long period of time. The gastric sleeve is also powerful and offers benefits that are similar. The gastric band is another option although the benefits take longer to come through as they go hand in hand with weight loss. With the bypass, there is an immediate metabolic benefit that is derived from the changes in gut hormones caused by the procedure itself.
"Excess weight is one of the major risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with the vast majority of patients with Type 2 diabetes having excess weight. All the national and international guidelines put a lot of emphasis on weight loss as the cornerstone of the management of patients with Type 2 diabetes. Weight loss from as little as 5% of total body weight can lower glucose levels significantly, with a greater amount of weight loss producing a more significant impact on glucose levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes as well as lowering their risk of cardiovascular disease. All methods of weight loss including lifestyle intervention, pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery have been shown to have a favourable impact on Type 2 diabetes, with bariatric surgery being the most powerful to date."
Based on the published data we consider Type 2 Diabetes remission rates by type of procedure to be:
- Gastric Band: 40-75% resolution
- Gastric Sleeve: 80-85% resolution
- Gastric Bypass: 85-95% resolution
With the bypass, there is an immediate metabolic benefit that is derived from the changes in gut hormones caused by the procedure itself. The changes in gut hormones, including ghrelin, impact on glucose regulation. There are still gaps in our understanding of precisely how the procedure delivers the metabolic changes we observe, but what we do know is that the changes have a dramatic and positive effect on Type 2 Diabetes.
During your consultation with our surgeon, we will discuss all of your options and help you come to a decision on what procedure will be best for you taking into account your diabetes, wider health considerations, weight loss objectives, wider diet and lifestyle considerations.
If you believe you are experiencing the symptoms of Diabetes you should contact your GP. If you have been diagnosed and want to explore surgery as a treatment option, please call us on 0121 720 9437 make an enquiry below.
Useful Links:
Weight Loss Surgery
Gastric Bypass
Gastric Sleeve
Gastric Band
- JAMA. 2012 Jan 4;307(1):56-65. doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.1914. Bariatric surgery and long-term cardiovascular events
- Buchwald H et al. Bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2004 Oct 13;292(14):1724-37
- Colditz GA, Willett WC, Rotnitzky A, et al. Ann Intern Med 1995;122:481 96486