# So wait...can you get over diabetes or can't you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061 "2011-03-26T15:08:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Romeo_and_Whatsherface)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061/21 "2011-03-27T16:57:23Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Although obesity (esp abdominal obesity) and type II diabetes are connected, there is something more about obesity surgery that makes it control diabetes. The surgeries bring blood sugar levels into normal range within days, and people have barely lost any weight by then. And even when done on people who aren’t obese but have type II diabetes the surgeries still bring blood sugar under control. Just curious: why would someone who’s not obese have obesity surgery? What else does it cure? The only case I can think of is when a patient with stomach cancer has part of her stomach removed. Does lap band surgery have the same effect? Interesting thread! ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061/22 "2011-03-28T03:23:59Z")
> [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](#): > > Just curious: why would someone who’s not obese have obesity surgery? What else does it cure? The only case I can think of is when a patient with stomach cancer has part of her stomach removed. Does lap band surgery have the same effect? > > Interesting thread! I’ve read blurbs about type II diabetics being given obesity surgeries as an experimental method to control blood sugar and them not seeing much weight loss. So the studies I was thinking of were pilot studies on non-obese diabetics. My impression is lap band doesn’t work ‘as’ well for diabetes, but the remission rates for type II diabetes are still 70-80% (vs 80-90% for more invasive forms of obesity surgery). But that isn’t a huge difference IMO, a 75~% remission rate is still good even if it isn’t 85% via other methods, but arguably you are just splitting hairs when comparing rates of 75% vs 85%. [http://www.ehow.com/about\_6169672\_can-surgery-can-cure-diabetes\_.html](http://www.ehow.com/about_6169672_can-surgery-can-cure-diabetes_.html) [http://professional.diabetes.org/News\_Display.aspx?TYP=9&CID=82948](http://professional.diabetes.org/News_Display.aspx?TYP=9&CID=82948) ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061/23 "2011-03-28T04:04:51Z")
Type II Diabetic here: April 2007 (day 1 of being Diabetic) my Fasting sugar was 312 and my A1C was 11.7 I went on 12 pills a day and a restricted diet. I worked the diet HARD and exercised like a madman, as of today I have lost 100 pounds. Today my fasting sugar averages ~93 and my A1C averages just under 6.0, I take either 3 or 4 pills a day (no Metformin every 3rd day) and test my blood every other day. Technically I am not Diabetic but AM I CURED?, NO!! things are just well controlled. Congrats to Drew on the weight-loss (but I am concerned that it happened too fast) but he is NOT “cured”. Unclviny ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061/24 "2011-03-28T08:52:10Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > \ > That said, it does look like in some cases where people have had gastric bypass surgery, their diabetes is genuinely gone, i.e. they can eat a high-sugar diet (at least in the short-term) and see no ill effects on their blood sugar. I’m not an expert and I’m not really sure what the deal is with this but there have been at least a few studies indicating that this is a real effect. A side note to this. My stomach was removed in 2005 due to some earlier botched hiatal hernia surgeries. My surgeon told me that I would likely never have to worry about Diabetes, which was interesting, but further, he claimed that many of his patients who had Type II diabetes saw improvement \*within days \*of the surgery. When I asked him about it, he said that the relationship between diabetes and the stomach was more complex than we understand. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061/25 "2011-03-28T16:58:40Z")
Regarding the rapid improvement in diabetes following and surgery, it is also interesting note that people who are trying to lose weight to control their sugars will often see an improvement in a day or two, before there’s been any substantial weight loss. This observation underscores the difference between weight loss and caloric restriction. It is the latter which has the rapid, beneficial, impact on diabetes control. We see this ‘all the time’ in type II diabetics undergoing surgery (any surgery, not just stomach surgery) or when they are unable to eat for other reasons. That is to say, when a diabetic person is fasting in anticipation of surgery (and may continue not eating post-op if they haven’t yet resumed oral intake) or when they are not eating because of, say, a bowel blockage, their sugars drop. Again, this is before there’s been any significant weight loss. What there _has_ been, though, is reduced caloric intake. And, it is _that_ which leads to their blood sugar improving. One also sees the flip side of this phenomenon, i.e. when a type II diabetic is _way_ out of control, they often actually experience uncontrolled weight loss yet their sugars don’t improve as a result of that weight loss. Once more, the reason is that such individuals continue to eat, continue to take in calories, and it is the continued caloric intake which causes the sugars to stay high (despite the ongoing weight loss). ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061/26 "2011-03-28T18:08:43Z")
An interesting explanation - which makes sense to me. If I see him again (god willing I won’t need to) I’ll discuss it with him. He _seemed_ to be saying something more - but then, it was an offhand comment made during a follow-up visit for surgery. The pain meds may have been clouding my understanding. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061/27 "2011-03-28T19:43:12Z")
Since we’re talking so much about diet/weight loss and diabetes, I want to note that, although many people can control Type 2 diabetes through weight loss & diet, it doesn’t work for everyone. I know plenty of people via the various diabetes forums online that are thin, exercise, and limit carbs, but who still struggle with their blood sugars. According to one endocrinologist I’ve spoken with, he treats overweight older Type 1s, thin, in-shape Type 2s, and everything in between. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-wait-can-you-get-over-diabetes-or-cant-you/576061.md?page=1)