Spring Break
The easy way out is not so easy
Putting a damper on diabetes
Andrea Robertson
Issue date: 7/16/08 Section: Opinion
Bariatric surgery, a procedure that many seek as a last resort to major weight loss, sometimes receives a bad reputation for giving its recipients an easy way out of weight problems. However, new research suggests that a bariatric surgical procedure could lead to a cure in type two diabetes.
Originally, it was thought that to cure this type of diabetes all one needed to do was lose weight; however, the findings of Dr. Karen Foster-Schubert, an instructor at the University of Washington in Seattle, suggests that the metabolic and hormonal changes brought on by this surgery are responsible for alleviating type two diabetes, not simple weight loss alone.
The CDC reports that out of the approximate 40 million people with diabetes, about 176,500 people 20 years old and younger have this disease. Diabetes is no longer a disease just hurting the elderly; people in their early 20s and teens are being afflicted by this epidemic.
With more research conducted, not only will doctors be able to save their patients' limbs, vision, and organs, they will be able to save their lives. By finding a cure for this diabetes through bariatric surgery, we can prevent some of the 300,000 unnecessary deaths a year that are caused by obesity.
This surgery is able not only to improve the quality of life, but also to ultimately save the lives of many who are overweight and it may rid many of insulin dependence. It is not a cure-all solution. People who receive a bariatric surgery are informed that this is a life-style change. Physicians tell their patients that if they do not manage what they eat and begin exercise that they are likely to gain the weight back. It is also very common for a physician to require his or her patient to begin an exercise routine before they receive the surgery in order to show true dedication to weight loss and a better quality of life.
Diabetes is not a disease that is easy to live with; patients must constantly check their insulin and be cognizant of what they are ingesting. People suffer from diabetic comas, diabetic seizures, insulin attacks, amputations, organ loss and failure. If researchers can find a cure, it should be used to cure those who need help.
With all of these health findings, it is absurd to suggest that bariatric surgery is an unnecessary surgery. As researchers gain more knowledge of the effects of bariatric surgery on type two diabetes, we will hopefully not only be able to better the lives of millions but also be able to make this form of diabetes an epidemic of the past.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com
Originally, it was thought that to cure this type of diabetes all one needed to do was lose weight; however, the findings of Dr. Karen Foster-Schubert, an instructor at the University of Washington in Seattle, suggests that the metabolic and hormonal changes brought on by this surgery are responsible for alleviating type two diabetes, not simple weight loss alone.
The CDC reports that out of the approximate 40 million people with diabetes, about 176,500 people 20 years old and younger have this disease. Diabetes is no longer a disease just hurting the elderly; people in their early 20s and teens are being afflicted by this epidemic.
With more research conducted, not only will doctors be able to save their patients' limbs, vision, and organs, they will be able to save their lives. By finding a cure for this diabetes through bariatric surgery, we can prevent some of the 300,000 unnecessary deaths a year that are caused by obesity.
This surgery is able not only to improve the quality of life, but also to ultimately save the lives of many who are overweight and it may rid many of insulin dependence. It is not a cure-all solution. People who receive a bariatric surgery are informed that this is a life-style change. Physicians tell their patients that if they do not manage what they eat and begin exercise that they are likely to gain the weight back. It is also very common for a physician to require his or her patient to begin an exercise routine before they receive the surgery in order to show true dedication to weight loss and a better quality of life.
Diabetes is not a disease that is easy to live with; patients must constantly check their insulin and be cognizant of what they are ingesting. People suffer from diabetic comas, diabetic seizures, insulin attacks, amputations, organ loss and failure. If researchers can find a cure, it should be used to cure those who need help.
With all of these health findings, it is absurd to suggest that bariatric surgery is an unnecessary surgery. As researchers gain more knowledge of the effects of bariatric surgery on type two diabetes, we will hopefully not only be able to better the lives of millions but also be able to make this form of diabetes an epidemic of the past.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Lemonade Diet
posted 7/16/08 @ 3:59 AM EST
It helps if people eat healthy foods. The calories from them enter the blood slower than from unhealthy foods.
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