During gastric bypass surgery, the portion of the intestines closest to the stomach is removed so that it no longer receives nutrients and the lower portion is then attached directly to the stomach, thus receiving all of the incoming nutrients.
Researchers now say that this change in the position of the intestines speeds up production of blood sugar by the small intestines, which then send signals to the liver to decrease glucose production. This in turn increases insulin sensitivity of intestines and helps lower blood sugar, thus controlling the diabetes often within days of surgery.
Study author Gilles Mithieux of Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale in France says that the gastric banding also called lap-band surgery causes weight loss by placing a prosthetic band around the stomach and reducing the appetite. Since it does not offer any changes in the intestines at all, it does not help in diabetes control.
Mithieux added that gastric bypass may be an effective treatment for diabetes in obese patients but it might even have potential for people who are diabetic but are of normal weight.
