Practical Diabetes InternationalVolume 22, Issue 1 p. 8-8 CommentaryFree Access Bariatric surgery: further study is needed into the effects on type 2 diabetes CR Lemmon, P Barbeau. Bariatric surgery for the obese diabetic patient: the effect on type 2 diabetes and important psychological considerations. Pages 3–7 First published: 29 March 2005 https://doi.org/10.1002/pdi.730AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat As the founder of WLSinfo an information and support source for patients who have had or are considering bariatric surgery, I was delighted to be asked to provide a commentary on the article by Lemmon and Barbeau. Bariatric surgery is on the increase in the UK and, though no definitive statistics exist, anecdotal experience suggests an exponential growth in the last four years. At WLSinfo we have over 1600 members and over 16 support groups around the UK. The effect of surgery on diabetes has been known for many years1 though its rapid effects seem to indicate mechanisms beyond weight loss. I have discussed with many diabetic surgery patients their experiences and have encountered a large number of anecdotal reports of profound reduction in hypoglycaemic medication, increased control and general overall health benefits. This is clearly a relationship which needs further exploration.2 As both a mental health nurse and gastric bypass patient myself, I would concur that the incidence of mental health problems in this client group is higher than in the general population. My personal experience suggests that those patients with the best pre-operative information and post-operative support have the best outcomes, though this would be worthy of further investigation. In conclusion, I welcome this work pointing towards the need for further investigation of the effect of bariatric surgery on type 2 diabetes. In addition, there is a requirement for the establishment of complete multidisciplinary teams (including psychologists) at specialist tertiary NHS centres around the UK. Ken Clare, RMN, RGN, is the founder of WLSinfo (online at http://www.wlsinfo.org.uk). He had a gastric bypass in September 2002 References 1Pories WJ, Swanson MS, MacDonald KG, et al. Who would have thought it? An operation proves to be the most effective therapy for adult-onset diabetes mellitus. Ann Surg 1995; 222(3): 339– 350; discussion 350–352. 2Pinkney J, Kerrigan D. Current status of bariatric surgery in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Obes Rev 2004; 5(1): 69– 78. Volume22, Issue1January/February 2005Pages 8-8 ReferencesRelatedInformation