A recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that bariatric surgery provides long-term benefits for individuals with type 2 diabetes compared to medication and lifestyle interventions.
The study, known as the Alliance of Randomized Trials of Medicine vs. Metabolic Surgery in Type 2 Diabetes (ARMMS-T2D), combined data from four independent trials conducted in the U.S. and included participants with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. Results showed that participants who underwent bariatric surgery had better long-term blood glucose control and were more likely to achieve diabetes remission up to 12 years post-surgery.
Individuals in the surgery group experienced greater weight loss, improved metabolic hormones, and better response to insulin. This led to healthier blood glucose levels compared to those in the medication/lifestyle group. The study also revealed that participants in the surgery group had a 20% weight loss at seven years, compared to 8% in the medication/lifestyle group, with significant differences remaining at 12 years.
Furthermore, bariatric surgery was shown to have beneficial effects on HbA1c and weight loss for participants with a BMI between 27 and 34, within the overweight and lower obesity ranges. While no differences in major adverse events were observed between the two groups, the surgery group did experience a higher number of fractures, anemia, low iron, and gastrointestinal events.
The NIH, which is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting medical research, conducts and supports research on diabetes and other metabolic diseases through its National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The study was supported by cooperative agreement U01DK114156 from NIDDK.
