Metabolic surgery, a type of bariatric surgery, for morbidly obese Type 2 diabetics has been recently found to have anti-diabetic effects, pushing the disease into remission.
A private hospital in the city has performed laparoscopic gastric bypass on a number of persons with metabolic syndrome and claims the surgical intervention has helped the patients.
Metabolic syndrome is marked by a big abdomen, accompanied by any of the conditions of abnormal glucose levels, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and triglycerides, doctors say.
“Tamil Nadu is the fourth fattest State in the country after Punjab, Kerala and Goa. Obesity is increasing tremendously and so is diabetes. Diabetes and obesity can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Metabolic syndrome is the bridge between obesity and diabetes,” J.S. Rajkumar, chairman of LifeLine Multi Speciality Hospitals, said.
Since 2000, the hospital has performed nearly 1,000 bariatric surgeries on patients, of whom approximately 200 persons had metabolic syndrome, he said, adding, “We do a laparoscopic gastric bypass. We found this resulted in weight loss in patients and remission of diabetes, high cholesterol level and hypertension.”
He said, after surgery, patients did not require administration of insulin or medicines. “The side effects are that they can eat only small amount of food and need to take iron and vitamin tablets,” Dr. Rajkumar stated. The surgery costs about Rs. 2.5 lakh.
A patient, Hemalatha, a resident of Kodambakkam, has been a diabetic since the age of 16. “I had accumulated a lot of weight on my abdomen. I underwent surgery a month ago and lost eight kg and now weigh 60 kg. My sugar levels are normal and I have stopped taking insulin,” the 27-year-old said.
