Bariatric surgery, also known as metabolic surgery, is one of the ways to treat some type 2 diabetes, but it requires an indication.
Clinical evidence shows that bariatric surgery treatment can significantly improve glycemic control in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes and may even lead to glycemic “remission” in some cases of diabetes, but not all patients with type 2 diabetes can undergo bariatric surgery.
Indications for bariatric surgery: Patients with type 2 diabetes (glycosylated hemoglobin >7%) who are 18-60 years of age, in good general condition, with low risk for surgery, and who are difficult to control with lifestyle interventions and various medications, or who have concomitant disease and meet the following criteria, may be considered for bariatric surgery. ①Optional indications: Type 2 diabetes mellitus with BMI ≥ 32.5 kg/m2 with or without comorbidities is feasible for bariatric surgery. ②Cautious indications: 27.5kg/m2≤BMI<32.5kg/m2 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially when other cardiovascular risk factors are present, weight loss surgery can be carefully selected. (iii) Tentatively not recommended: 25.0 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 27.5 kg/m2 if combined with type 2 diabetes and central obesity (waist circumference ≥ 90 cm in men and ≥ 85 cm in women) and at least 2 additional components of the following metabolic syndrome: high TG, low HDL-C, and hypertension. There is insufficient evidence to recommend such patients for clinical routine treatment at this time.