Can Weight Loss Surgery Reduce My Risk of Pre-diabetes Complications?
Weight loss surgery can significantly reduce your risk of developing chronic conditions and diseases. If you have risk factors for diabetes (such as high blood sugar levels), you can prevent the onset of diabetes by managing your diet and undergoing bariatric surgery.
About 84 million adults in the United Stateshave pre-diabetes, and most of those individuals are unaware that they have it. If your doctor has warned you that you need to better control your blood sugar levels, you may be a great candidate for weight loss surgery at our state-of-the-art surgical center in Tijuana, B.C. Learn more about how weight loss surgery can help patients with pre-diabetes.
The Dangers of High Blood Sugar
Being pre-diabetic comes with health risks. High blood sugar levels can lead to serious health problems that include:
- Hardening of the arteries
- Stroke
- Blindness
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
Individuals with pre-diabetes have symptoms that include elevated thirst, the frequent need to pee, blurry vision, and fatigue.
How Can Bariatric Surgery Prevent the Onset of Diabetes?
Being overweight or obese is a leading risk factorfor pre-diabetes and diabetes. Research into the link between obesity and diabetes is ongoing. One leading theory suggests that being overweight places stress on cells, particularly in the membranous network called the endoplasmic reticulum. The stress interferes with the endoplasmic reticulum’s ability to properly regulate insulin reduction.
Insulin is a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. When proper amounts of glucose are not released, blood sugar levels can spike, resulting in the symptoms of diabetes.
Weight Loss following Bariatric Surgery
Weight loss surgery at our Tijuana, B.C., surgical center will lead to dramatic weight reduction in the weeks and months following surgery. Depending on the type of surgery you underwent, you can expect to lose around one to two pounds per week until you reach your ideal body weight.
As you begin to reach your target body mass index, your risk of blood sugar fluctuations will steadily drop. At some point during your weight loss, your primary care physician may lift your diagnosis of being pre-diabetic.
Avoiding the Return of Pre-diabetes
Once you have reached your ideal BMI and no longer have pre-diabetes, you will want to maintain your weight loss results by following simple steps. Dr. Francisco Gonzalez or a member of our bilingual medical team will provide you with practical steps to keep those extra pounds from returning. Proven tips include:
- Making exercise a routine part of your healthier lifestyle
- Spreading out meals instead of eating more in the evening
- Regularly tracking your weight and calorie intake
- Reducing carbs and increasing vegetables and protein intake
- Staying hydrated
- Working with a nutritionist until you can maintain a healthy diet
Reduce Your Risk of Developing a Chronic Disease with Bariatric Surgery
Without significant intervention, pre-diabetes can develop into diabetes. Weight loss surgery can greatly reduce your risk for heart disease, eye ailments, and a host of serious health problems related to elevated blood sugar levels.
If you are interested in learning more about how bariatric surgery can reverse the progression of diabetes, we welcome you to contact our office online or call (619) 304-2084.
