Bariatric Surgery Contributes to Diabetes Remission

Not only does bariatric surgery allow for healthy weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes, but it also contributes to remission, according to new research.

While previous research has shown that bariatric surgery encourages diabetes remission, the mechanism behind this effect is not well understood.
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To conduct their study, researchers performed either a bariatric surgery or a sham surgery on male mice that were fed a high-fat diet and male mice without TGR5 receptors—a bile acid receptor shown to be involved with the regulation of glucose levels.

They also tracked the mice’s oral glucose tolerance, body weight, food intake, energy levels, insulin signaling, and bile acid circulation.

Results showed that mice that received bariatric surgery were eating less and losing body weight, had increased energy levels and bile acid circulation, and had positive changes in gut microbials.

In addition, researchers found that TGR5 directly contributed to the improvement of the bile acid circulation that balances and regulates glucose.

“These results suggest that TGR5 contributes to the glucoregulatory benefits of bariatric surgery by promoting metabolically favorable shifts in the circulating bile acid pool,” researchers concluded.

--Amanda Balbi

Reference:

McGavigan AK, Garibay D, Henseler ZM, et al. TGR5 contributes to glucoregulatory improvements after vertical sleeve gastrectomy in mice. Gut. Published online January 20, 2016. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2015-309871.