Most people with diabetes are looking at a lifetime of insulin injections and careful lifestyle management through diet and exercise. Some people who have diabetes have other options available for them. The options available are different for those who have type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes with Bariatric Surgery

There are no guarantees that bariatric surgery will completely reverse type 2 diabetes. Many patients experience rapid and robust weight loss with surgery that allows them to go into a type of remission in which they are either no longer considered diabetic or no longer insulin dependent like people who have diabetes.

Surgeries to Reverse Type 1 Diabetes

Surgeries that could potentially reverse type 1 diabetes are far more invasive and transformative. There are only two available at this time, with one option considered to be largely experimental.

Pancreas transplant and Islet transplantation

Pancreas transplants have a wide success rate with roughly 85 percent of patients being insulin-independent after one year of surgery.

This surgery is most commonly performed on individuals who also need kidney transplants. It is a complex surgery that requires a lifetime of immunosuppressive medications. The same holds true for islet transplantation, which is still a relatively new surgery that offers some success. transplant.

These surgeries, while risky, offer hope to many people, who may experience life without insulin and a reversal of diabetes.