Loose Weight and Put your Type 2 Diabetes in Remission

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects about 38 million people in the United States and 589 million people worldwide. This common chronic illness is caused by insulin resistance. Being overweight, poor dietary patterns, and inactivity are contributing risk factors for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. 

People with type 2 diabetes can manage the disease and slow its progression with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and other lifestyle changes. If you don’t manage diabetes, you may experience complications such as heart disease, neuropathy, and glaucoma. So, keeping your diabetes in check is vital to your well-being. 

Although you can’t fully cure type 2 diabetes, you can send it into remission with significant weight loss. Fellowship-trained bariatric surgeon Michael Sutker, MD, can help you achieve significant weight loss and subsequent type 2 diabetes remission. Here’s how. 

What is type 2 diabetes remission?

People with type 2 diabetes have poor glucose control. To achieve remission or diabetes reversal, you must be able to keep your glucose levels within normal range, without the aide of diabetes medications, for at least six months.

By keeping glucose levels within the normal range, you greatly reduce your risk of developing diabetes-related complications. This isn’t considered a cure, however, because glucose levels can still become elevated again — especially if you regain the weight you’ve lost. 

Fortunately, you can remain in remission for many, many years — and possibly the rest of your lifetime — by maintaining your weight loss through healthy lifestyle choices. 

Weight loss solutions for diabetes remission

Obesity is a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. The vast majority (90%) of those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have obesity or are overweight.

Studies have shown that bariatric surgery, which can help people lose up to 50% of their body weight when done in conjunction with healthy eating and exercise, is a highly effective tool in assisting patients in achieving and maintaining type 2 diabetes remission. 

Those with higher pancreas functioning who’ve had diabetes for less time have the highest chances of achieving remission through bariatric surgery.

Dr. Sutker offers many minimally invasive weight loss surgeries, including sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgeries, and revisional weight loss surgery for those who’ve had previous weight loss surgery that has stopped working. With so many options, there’s a weight loss solution that suits most people.

Take steps toward better health today 

If you’re interested in learning how weight loss surgery can help you reverse type 2 diabetes and minimize your risk of diabetes-related complications, call the office of Michael Sutker, MD, in Dallas, Texas, today, or click online to request an appointment at your convenience.