Gastric Lap-Band Surgery Can Send Diabetes Into Remission

So should diabetics rush to get gastric band operations? The cost could stop many of them.

The procedure costs an average of $18,000 in the United States, Dixon said. By contrast, diet and exercise are free.

"The problem is that it's hard to lose weight" by using traditional, non-surgical methods, Dixon said.

Dr. Alan Wittgrove, medical director of the bariatric program at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., said the study provides "great information" that adds to research about other gastric weight-loss procedures.

"It's nice to have something in the literature that says the band works well for diabetes," he said, although he added that it's important to note that success rates vary depending on where the procedure is done.

And what of the argument that fat people should just eat less and visit the gym? In some cases, overweight people with diabetes "don't really have the opportunity to lose weight and be healthier, oftentimes because of the medication they're on," he said.

More information

Learn more about bariatric surgery from the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCES: John Dixon, Ph.D., researcher, head of clinical research, Center for Obesity and Research Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Alan Wittgrove, M.D., medical director, bariatric program, Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, Calif.; Jan. 23, 2008,Journal of the American Medical Association