Bariatric surgery an option of diabetics

NEW YORK, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Some U.S. and European doctors are recommending bariatric surgery for the most common form of diabetes.

Studies have found that more than 75 percent of patients with Type 2 diabetes who undergo the surgery see their disease disappear, The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday.

Advocates of bariatric surgery, however, say it is too early to recommend it for most diabetics. The surgery, which shrinks the stomach and sometimes reroutes the intestines, can lead to serious complications. The death rate is estimated at between one in 100 and one in 1,000.

"As a primary treatment for diabetes, it simply doesn't measure up very well," Richard Hellman, president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, told the newspaper.

Bariatric surgery is recommended for morbidly obese patients who are at least 100 pounds overweight or about 75 pounds overweight and also have diabetes or other related conditions.