New study confirms benefits of weight loss surgery for diabetics

Many diabetics require a prescription to buy Actos to control their blood sugar. They are forced to test their glucose levels multiple times per day and pay very close attention to what they eat. However, new research suggests that a simple surgical procedure could alleviate many of these burdens.

A team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic showed that bariatric weight loss surgery led to major improvements in blood sugar levels and actually enabled some participants to send their metabolic condition into total remission.

"This trial demonstrates that bariatric surgery can eliminate the need for diabetes medications in many obese patients whose diabetes is poorly controlled," said lead researcher Philip Schauer. "Furthermore, the surgical patients showed major improvements in other measures of heart health."

The study is the latest in a string of investigations to show that diabetics who undergo bariatric surgery experience major improvements in their metabolic condition. However, it remains unexplained why the procedure leads to such dramatic gains in health.

Losing weight is considered one of the surest ways for diabetics to reduce their reliance on medications and improve their blood sugar levels. However, previous studies have shown that glucose levels often improve after surgery before the patient loses any weight.