November brings awareness of a common illness that affects nearly 40 million Americans. This illness is diabetes, and every year, it causes problems for more people and their families. But is there a way to reverse type 2 diabetes so that you can live without the problem?
At Bergen Bariatric and Surgical Solutions, we offer surgical interventions for issues like diabetes. Bariatric surgeon Dr. Mikhail A. Botvinov understands how diabetes can negatively affect your life and wants you to have as many options as possible to manage it.
It’s important to be clear: not everyone who has extra weight on their body will get diabetes, just like not everyone who does end up with type 2 diabetes is overweight. However, if you are dealing with diabetes, losing some extra weight can be helpful in managing the illness.
Diabetes occurs when your body is unable to produce enough insulin to allow your pancreas to functionally remove sugar from your bloodstream. When you have diabetes, you may need to take medication to provide your body with the amount of insulin it needs to do this. But it’s a natural way to manage this process when you lose weight.
Losing weight boosts your insulin resistance and drops your A1c numbers. This process makes it easier for your medication to work. In addition, it decreases the amount of inflammation in your body, which is a big driver of many of the complications associated with diabetes.
However, some people struggle with weight loss, especially if they have been overweight for most of their lives. Some people naturally gain weight more easily as well. As such, this can make it difficult to lose the weight you want to benefit your body and manage your type 2 diabetes.
This is where bariatric surgery can be a helpful option. It allows people to lose a fair amount of weight quickly, which can be helpful to their bodies, especially when they’re dealing with type 2 diabetes. It allows all the benefits discussed above to occur and speeds up the timeline for these kinds of positive effects.
A 2020 study found that bariatric surgery was helpful to patients living with type 2 diabetes “through both weight-dependent and weight-independent actions.” In addition, another study in 2024 found that patients who had undergone bariatric surgery needed less medication and had better glycemic control than those who didn’t over a 7- to 12-year period.
But what does this mean? Does bariatric surgery reverse diabetes so that you no longer have the illness? In truth, no. Diabetes is a chronic illness that can’t be reversed or cured. It can, however, go into remission, and how you would normally need to treat it can be minimized or even unneeded.
Many times, people who get bariatric surgery can use less medication to control their diabetes or stop taking medication altogether. And, if they can maintain a healthy lifestyle after their surgery and continue managing their diabetes in this new way, they may never have to return to the medication level they were at previously.
This is why so many people feel that their diabetes has been “cured” after their bariatric surgery. While we still recommend that patients continue to seek follow-up care for their condition, we understand the immense freedom you can find in being able to manage type 2 diabetes without the constant use of medication.
No, bariatric surgery doesn’t reverse type 2 diabetes, but it can allow you to manage the condition with ease and avoid taking medications every day. And we understand just how incredible this kind of change can feel.
To make an appointment at our office in Westwood, NJ, call 201-778-5344 or visit us online. We’re ready to meet you!
