Two weeks after Dr. Roger Maillefer created a small stomach pouch and redirected food into Tom’s small intestines, a miraculous thing happened. Tom’s daily insulin requirements dropped from 200 units to zero. His Type 2 diabetes was virtually cured. This surgical “cure” for diabetes has now been well documented in several research studies and featured in a “60 Minutes” segment in April 2008.

Dr. Maillefer, who has been performing gastric bypass procedures at Kishwaukee Community Hospital since 2002, has experienced similar success with many patients.
Gastric bypass surgery is only approved for individuals who are 100 pounds or more overweight. But when they also have Type 2 diabetes, having their diabetes cured even before they lose the weight translates into a rapid improvement in their health,” Dr. Maillefer says.

Obesity and Type 2 diabetes often go hand in hand. Studies now prove what bariatric surgeons have often observed. While it can take months to lose 100 pounds after gastric bypass surgery, the effect on diabetes is much more rapid.

“The cure seems to be related to stapling off the stomach and redirecting food into the small intestines. We know this procedure may quickly cure diabetes, but we don’t know why yet,” he says.

The hormone, grehlin, which is related to hunger, may be a factor. Grehlin levels tend to decline after the stomach is divided.

“Researchers are rethinking the cause of diabetes and are now looking at a neuro-hormone relationship between the stomach and the pancreas. They are asking if the surgery does something to alter the chemistry in the stomach that then corrects the production of insulin in the pancreas,” Dr. Maillefer explains.

Gastric bypass surgery can be done as an open procedure or the new laparoscopic “key hole” or “poke hole” method.

During gastric bypass surgery, a small pouch is created above the stomach, which is about the size of a ping pong ball. The pouch is connected to a section of the small intestines. As a result of this procedure, food bypasses both the stomach and most of the intestines. The pouch holds up to one-half to one cup of food. Patients have a feeling of fullness with eating very small amounts. 

Tom, of Machesney Park, is 50 years old and six feet tall. He weighed 437 pounds before he had surgery in July 2007. As of May 2008, he had lost 145 pounds and also was off blood pressure medications. .

Click here to read more stories