Diet Tips to Help Keep Your Blood Glucose Stable
Eating a healthy diet can make it easier to control Type 2 diabetes and even reduce your reliance on medications. Learn some quick diet tips you can follow to prevent sudden blood sugar spikes.
Gastric Sleeve Surgery and Type 2 Diabetes
If you’re diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, weight loss can have a significant impact on your ability to control the disease.
At West Houston Surgical Associates, Christopher Reilly, MD, FACS, offers several types of bariatric surgeries to help you lose weight when you can’t lose it on your own. Dr. Reilly can determine if you’re a candidate for bariatric surgery to help you better manage your Type 2 diabetes.
Why you have Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a common form of diabetes that primarily develops because of an unhealthy lifestyle. A healthy body uses the hormone insulin to convert sugar from the foods you eat into the energy you need to function.
When you have Type 2 diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin to support this process, or it doesn’t use the insulin it produces to convert sugar properly. This results in your blood sugar levels remaining high. High blood sugars that remain uncontrolled can lead to serious health complications.
If you’re obese, your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes rises exponentially. You may also be at increased risk if you eat a poor diet and lack daily physical activity.
Just like obesity increases your risk for the disease, Type 2 diabetes can put you at a higher risk for severe, long-term health issues like:
- Stroke
- Blindness
- Heart disease
- Kidney failure
- Nerve damage
Type 2 diabetes can also lead to cognitive decline, depression, and even premature death.
Why consider bariatric surgery?
If you’re obese and can’t lose weight through diet and exercise, Dr. Reilly may recommend gastric sleeve surgery. This procedure involves removing a large part of your stomach to limit how much you can eat.
By creating a smaller stomach pouch, you can lose a significant amount of weight quickly and safely. A gastric sleeve will also require you to adjust your eating habits and food choices.
Gastric sleeve surgery has also been shown to have a positive effect on your blood sugars. With enough weight loss, you may be able to control your Type 2 diabetes more effectively with your diet.
In some cases, this type of weight loss surgery can reduce your reliance on medications to manage your diabetes.
Determining your candidacy for gastric sleeve surgery
In order to qualify for gastric sleeve surgery, you should be in otherwise good health and able to tolerate surgery. Dr. Reilly reviews your medical history, your existing health, and your expectations for weight loss before determining if surgery is right for you.
Candidates for gastric sleeve surgery typically need to have a body mass index (BMI) over 40. You may benefit from the surgery even if you have Type 2 diabetes that’s well-controlled with medications.
Dr. Reilly may also recommend a gastric sleeve if your BMI is between 35 and 39, but you’re not able to manage Type 2 diabetes with other therapies.
By undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, you can not only improve your control of Type 2 diabetes, you can also cut your risk factors for other serious health issues. Learning how to eat a healthy diet and limit your portions after surgery will also go a long way to improving your health.
To find out if gastric sleeve surgery is an option for managing your Type 2 diabetes, call West Houston Surgical Associates or book an appointment online today.
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