Can weight loss surgery be a cure for diabetes?

Gastric bypass surgery can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes. A recent study published in the American Journal of Physiology — Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, aimed to find out why Roux-en-Y bypass surgery improves insulin sensitivity. Insulin transfers sugar from the blood into storage sites around the body, such as skeletal muscle and fat tissue. Poor insulin sensitivity means that that this process is slowed down, leading to a high blood sugar level, this is commonly known as type 2 diabetes and is prevalent in obese people.

The study looked at abdominal fat and thigh muscle samples taken before and after gastric bypass surgery. Significant improvement was seen in insulin sensitivity by 12 months after surgery, with the greatest improvement being noticed in fat tissue, suggesting that it plays a more prominent role in insulin sensitivity than previously thought. Overall, the study suggests interesting interactions between insulin and fat tissue, whilst showing that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass could contribute more in treating insulin sensitivity.