Type 2 Diabetics Pushed towards Bariatric Surgery

In a recent paper on Monday, the International Diabetes Federation urged obese, type 2 diabetics to consider weight loss surgery. New studies are suggest that type 2 diabetes can be reversed by bariatric surgery in some instances.

In a position paper the International Diabetes Federation claims that the rate of growth of type 2 diabetes, coupled together with obesity is rapidly approaching an epidemic. By undergoing weight loss surgery, many complications and comorbidities can be reduced or even eliminated.

The push for weight loss surgery in some patients is contra to earlier prevaling consensus where weight loss surgery was considered a last resort option for obesity. Now bariatric surgery is presented in a new, favorable light. They also suggest that even if you don't have type 2 diabetes, but are at risk of developing the disease, weight loss surgery may be your best option.

"Bariatric surgery for severely obese people with type 2 diabetes should be considered much earlier in management rather than held back as a last resort," wrote George Alberti, a professor at the Imperial College of London. "It should be incorporated into type 2 diabetes treatment protocols."

The recommendations of the paper could have implications for a large segment of the population. Nearly 80 million people in the U.S. can be considered to have pre-diabetes, a condition that often develops into type 2 diabetes. Bariatric surgery may help many of them avoid this fate.

With Obesity, Expect Lower Life Expectancy

Other countries are surpassing the United States in life expectancy due to smoking and obesity. New research says that life expectancy is increasing, but it is slower than 21 other countries included in the report.

The National Research Council, an arm of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, says that life expectancy at age 50 is 33.1 years, while it's 35.5 on average for women in Japan, Australia, Italy and Spain.

Since the United States spends more on health care than any other country, this slowed pace is striking, said report co-author Samuel H. Preston, a professor of demography at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The results are "surprising in terms of our self-concept," he added.

They go on to note that smoking cigarettes, particularly the heavy amount of smoking done by American women is a main causal factor. They also noted that U.S. is the heaviest nation in the world, and that, "Obesity also appears to be important, but we are less certain of its role," says Samuel H. Preston.

Life expectancy for American men increased by 5.5 years between 1980 to 2006, but that was less than the average of 21 other countries in the study. The increase for women was less. Over the same time period, life expectancy at birth for women increased from 77.5 to 80.7 years, the report states.

Men appear to be better off than women, noting 1 to 1.5 years behind the leaders.

While smoking is the key factor, the report also said obesity may account for a fifth to a third of the U.S. shortfall in life expectancy.

As our nation gets bigger, there are options to improve your life expectancy. Diet and expericse can help you shedd the pounds, but if you're struggling with obesity you may about to look into bariatric surgery like Gastric Bypass. Bariatric Surgery can help you, in a fairly quick time frame get ride of the unwanted fat from your body.