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Metabolic Surgery As a Cure for Type 2 Diabetes

According to information from the American Diabetes Association, type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Type II diabetes is a condition that arises under one of two conditions: where the body fails to produce a sufficient level of insulin to regulate blood sugar or where the body fails to properly utilize produced insulin. In any event, the defining characteristic of type II diabetes is an inability to control blood sugar in the body. Metabolic surgery provides one drastic, but effective, option for diabetes control.

  1. Metabolic Surgery

    • Consider the possibility of metabolic surgery where you have repeatedly tried and failed to treat your diabetes with diet and medication alone. Metabolic surgery is a type of surgery akin to bariatric surgery, where the digestive tract is altered through surgical means to downgrade the quantity of food that can be consumed at any one time. This will occur through one of two ways---gastric bypass surgery (where the stomach is bypassed altogether as a repository for consumed food, instead relying on a small pouch constructed during the operation) and gastric banding (where the stomach is artificially restricted in size through the use of an elastic band). The net effect of both of these procedures is that the patient will become full sooner, being unable to consume his or her normal quantity of food. This, in turn, will have a positive effect on diabetes, as it will be more difficult to increase blood sugar to a dangerous level with the reduced capacity of the digestive system.

    Benefits and Considerations

    • According to information from Cornell Surgery, metabolic surgical procedures can often lead to a complete elimination of the need for prescription medications in individuals afflicted with type II diabetes. For optimal results, however, it is necessary to make dietary modifications in addition to simply relying on the surgery itself. To accomplish this, limit the carbs you consume to only slow-digesting carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and 100 percent whole grains. Pair those items with plenty of lean protein and a modest amount of healthy unsaturated fat from natural sources like almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds and olive oil. Limiting yourself to natural foods will decrease your blood sugar level even further, enhancing the benefits from the surgery and improving your quality of life even more.

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