Why type 2 diabetes sometimes disappears after gastric bypass surgery

though existing research has shown that gastric bypass surgery resolves type 2 diabetes, the reason has remained unclear. A research team led by Nicholas Stylopoulos, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, has identified the small intestine—widely believed to be a passive organ—as the major contributor to the body’s metabolism, based on a study in rats. The report appears in the July 26, 2013, issue of Science. Weight loss and improved diabetes often go hand in hand, but type 2 diabetes often disappears even before weight loss occurs after gastric bypass. To investigate why this happens, Stylopoulos and his team spent one year studying rats. They observed that after gastric bypass surgery, the small intestine changes the way it processes glucose. The team saw the intestine using and disposing of glucose, thereby regulating blood glucose levels in the rest of the body and helping to eliminate type 2 diabetes. “We have seen type 2 diabetes resolve in humans after gastric bypass, but have never known why,” said Stylopoulos. “People have been focusing on hormones, fat and muscle, but we have shown in this study that the answer lies somewhere in the small intestine most of the time.” Gastric bypass surgery, a weight-loss treatment typically reserved for severely obese patients, reroutes food into a small pouch of the stomach and bypasses the rest of the stomach and duodenum. Before gastric bypass, intestines typically do not contain GLUT-1, a specific transporter responsible for removing glucose from circulation and utilizing it within the organ. After gastric bypass, the researchers found that the intestine reprograms itself to contain GLUT-1, taking glucose from circulation and disposing of it, swiftly stabilizing blood glucose levels in the rest of the body. “Previously, we had not considered the intestine as a major glucose-utilizing organ. We have found this process is exactly what happens after surgery,” said Stylopoulos. Based on their findings, Stylopoulos and his colleagues found that type 2 diabetes was resolved in 100 percent of the rats that underwent gastric bypass. Sixty-four percent of type 2 diabetes was resolved by the intestine, and the researchers hypothesize that the remaining 36 percent may be due to weight loss or other factors. These findings pave the way for future investigations of how to create a medical pathway to mimic the intestine’s reprogramming, without the surgery. “With further research, we may find ways to bypass the bypass,” said Stylopoulos. “The results of our study are promising because, unlike the brain and other organs, intestines are easily accessible. Furthermore, since cells in the intestine have such a short lifespan, we can easily study and pharmacologically manipulate them to use glucose, without long-term problems.” This research was supported with funds from the National Institutes of Health and the Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and the Clinical and Translational Executive Committee at Boston Children’s Hospital. Read more at http://scienceblog.com/65058/why-type-2-diabetes-sometimes-disappears-after-gastric-bypass-surgery/#f9moeQLUpEH28x4m.99

Natural Diabetes Treatment for Type 1 Diabetics

If you're not doing this,
you're not really treating your diabetes.

Any diabetes treatment that does not include optimizing your nutrition is not really a treatment. Unfortunately, medicine focusses on keeping your blood sugars within a normal range- as long as that's being accomplished, you're "treated". As usual, this is just a bandaid solution of treating the symptom rather than the underlying problem.
Type 1 diabetes used to be called "juvenile diabetes" because it generally affects younger people. Type 1 diabetics don't produce the insulin they need to use the glucose from food that is essential for all body functioning. Unlike type 2 diabetics, who usually have a lot of insulin, but their body isn't able to use it properly. Different causes- same results.

Current opinion is that type 1 diabetes is actually an autoimmune disease (the body destroying itself). Partly because over 80% of type 1 diabetics have islet cell antibodies. These antibodies tell your body to attack and destroy the islet cells of your pancreas, which are responsible for making insulin. If caught early enough, a perfect type 1 diabetes treatment would be to stop the autoimmune response. Unfortunately, by the time diagnosis is made, almost all of the islet cells have been destroyed. So there is no other choice at that point but to inject insulin.
Preserving as much of your pancreas as possible still makes a lot of sense though. Even tiny amounts of your own insulin could help keep your blood sugar in normal range as well as reduce your insulin requirements. Could it be that those who have an easier time controlling their glucose levels have more functioning islet cells? More research needs to be done for sure.
If type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, then antioxidants are an ideal natural diabetes treatment. Traditionally, autoimmune diseases have been controlled by suppressing your immune system to try to slow the damage.
Experience with supplements that provide optimal nutrition as well as high levels of antioxidants has shown that your immune system may need to be corrected rather than suppressed. Although antioxidants actually boost your immune system, they also seem to help it work properly. Obviously it's not "normal" for your body to attack itself. People with autoimmune diseases usually see an improvement in their conditions and a slowing of the progression when they supplement with antioxidants and proper nutrients.
Of course, I'm not insinuating that taking antioxidant supplements is going to save your pancreas and treat your diabetes. Like I said, it's probably too late already. The sooner you start, the better your chances though AND antioxidants play a key role in natural diabetes treatment for more important reasons...

Preventing Diabetes Complications

Preventing diabetes complications is really the main point of diabetes treatment. People don't usually die from diabetes itself, they die from the problems the disease causes. The #1 killer of diabetics is heart disease, not diabetes.
Now I'm going to send you to the type 2 diabetes page, because pretty much everything on that page applies to type 1 diabetics also:

• Although type 1 diabetics don't usually have Metabolic Syndrome, the damage from the inflammation caused by high blood sugars is the same. It accelerates the aging process the same way.


• Of course, making your cells as sensitive to insulin as you can will only improve your diabetes treatment.


• The benefits of eating a low glycemic diet are a no-brainer- even more important for type 1 diabetics.

So go and read this right now and then come back when you get to the specific recommendations. The specific recommendations for type 1 diabetics are slightly different...

Specific Recommendations for Type 1 Natural Diabetes Treatment

Of course, insulin remains an integral part of diabetes treatment- it's essential for the body to function and you're not making it. Nuff said.
But it is only part of proper treatment- not the only treatment, which is unfortunately the case with most diabetics. All doctors would agree that proper diet and exercise would help diabetics. What they don't stress to their patients (partly because many of them don't realize) is that diet and exercise are actually the BEST defense against the killer complications from the disease.

There are many nutrients that improve your sensitivity to insulin. I'm not going to list them all here, but what I will tell you is that it's pretty much impossible to get the amount of antioxidants and nutrients you need to prevent diabetes complications from diet alone.
You need to take a supplement to get the amounts you need. If you haven't already read my page on antioxidant supplements, let me tell you that you need to be extremely careful in your choice of supplement. The fact is that MOST of what's available is completely useless and a total waste of money.

What I've done is compiled all the information you need into an instant access e-mail. Here's what you get:

• the nutrients that improve your sensitivity to insulin


• my specific recommendations for natural diabetes treatment


• the specific brand names of high quality supplements that my clients have had great success with in their diabetes treatment (I'm not allowed to mention brand names on my website, which is the whole reason you need to complete the form and get the information via e-mail rather than me just telling you now.)


• an inspiring story from a real person who followed the recommendations

Please don't underestimate the power of these recommendations. They are based on over 12 years of experience with actual patients. Many people are able to decrease their insulin requirements. One man actually reversed the disease itself, and is no longer diabetic! Absolutely unheard of! At the very least, you are reducing the oxidative stress that causes the damage to your body. And remember that preventing diabetic complications is the most important thing you can do- following my recommendations for natural diabetes treatment is the most effective way to do that.