A Small Device with Large Results for Type 2 Diabates
A new minimally evasive surgery has shown to effectively treat Type 2 diabetes. There have been roughly 100 of these surgeries and the blood-sugar levels of almost all of the participants were significantly lowered. So much that the patients were able to reduce the number of medications they were taking.
The surgery takes about an hour. A device about the size of a small cell phone is implanted in the abdomen. There are electrodes connected to the device that send electrical impulses to the stomach when a person eats. This device was originally created to induce weight loss. While it did cause modest weight loss the results of the effect on type 2 diabetes was even greater.
There are hormones in the stomach that are theorized to play a role in the conversion of sugar into energy. The thinking is that the impulses will stimulate the hormones to perform that function.
This is exciting news. With over 18 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes this could have a huge health impact. It could reduce complications of diabetes like vision loss, amputation and heart disease.
Tags: blood sugar, diabetes, heart disease, tantalus, type 2 diabetesRelated posts
