As of January 2011, 650,000 Lap-Band procedures had been performed worldwide, according to the company's website. The procedure helps obese patients lose weight by restricting the size of the stomach so the patient feels full after eating less food than usual. One of the benefits of losing the weight appears to be improvement or resolution of type 2 diabetes, an obesity-related condition that causes serious complications.
Lap-Band Surgery
Gastric banding, a type of weight-loss surgery, involves placing a silastic band around the upper portion of the stomach, creating a tiny pouch that limits the amount of food eaten at one sitting. Both bands available in the United States, the Lap-Band and the Realize band, are adjusted periodically by injecting or withdrawing sterile fluid through an access port close to the skin surface. Lap-Band surgery is less invasive than the gastric bypass procedure, but the rate of weight loss is slower.
Obesity and Type II Diabetes
In patients with type II diabetes mellitus, blood glucose levels are raised because the body does not respond appropriately to the hormone called insulin. Since obesity doubles the risk of developing type II diabetes and morbid obesity increases the risk tenfold, according to Tomasz Rogula, M.D., Ph.D., in an article published by the Obesity Action Coalition in Spring 2008. Other risk factors include age, abdominal fat and family history.
Effect of Lap-Band on Type II Diabetes
Several studies have found that diabetes improved or resolved after Lap-Band surgery. In a 2004 study published in "Obesity Surgery," researchers found that 66 percent of the type II diabetics had normal blood sugar levels and no longer needed medication one year after surgery, and 80 percent were in remission two years after the procedure. A 2008 article published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" reported that 73 percent of patients resolved their type II diabetes after gastric band surgery.
Surgery vs. Conventional Therapy
Traditional approaches to treating type II diabetes include weight loss through diet and exercise, and medication if blood sugar levels do not approach normal ranges. A report published in the January 23, 2008, issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," describes the findings of Australian researchers who assigned 60 new diabetic patients to one of two groups. Half were treated conventionally and the other half received adjustable gastric banding surgery. In the surgical group, 73 percent achieved remission, compared to 13 percent of the conventional therapy group.
Expert Viewpoint
In an editorial to the "Journal of the American Medical Association," published on January 23, 2008, David E. Cummings, M.D., and David R. Flum, M.D., Ph.D., suggested that the medical community consider adjustable gastric banding as a treatment option for newly diagnosed diabetic patients that appears to be more successful than diet and exercise. The authors caution, however, that further research is needed with larger, more diverse groups of patients.
References
- "Your Weight Matters Magazine;" Bariatric Surgery as a Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes; Tomasz Rogula, MD, Ph.D., et al.; Spring 2008
- American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: New Study Confirms Long-Term Effectiveness of Gastric Banding on Type 2 Diabetes Remission and Improvement
- "Obesity Surgery;" Effect of Lap-Band-Induced Weight Loss on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension; J. Ponce, et al.; November-December 2004
- LAP-BAND: Compare Lap-Band to Other Options
- "Journal of the American Medical Association;" Gastrointestinal Surgery as a Treatment for Diabetes; David E. Cummings, M.D.; David R. Flum, M.D., M.P.H.; January 23, 2008
- "Journal of the American Medical Association;" Adjustable Gastric Banding and Conventional Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes; John B. Dixon, Ph.D., et al.; January 23, 2008
