British doctors trial simple gut operation that 'cures or controls' diabetes

From telegraph.co.uk

A simple gut operation that sees a plastic film inserted into the stomach could cure or control diabetes, British doctors have found.
Patients taking part in trials at King's College Hospital and University College Hospital in London and City Hospital in Birmingham found their diabetes had disappeared or become much milder after the operations.
Francesco Rubino, professor of metabolic surgery at King's, told The Sunday Times: "About 50 per cent of patients are diabetes-free after these procedures.
"The remaining people demonstrate big improvements of blood sugar control and can drastically reduce their dependence on insulin or other medication.
"In many patients, blood sugar levels go back to normal within days, long before declines in fat levels or weight."
The treatments stem from a new view of the causes of diabetes, a condition in which there is too much glucose in the blood.
Diabetes has previously been blamed on the pancreas not secreting enough insulin, the hormone that controls glucose levels - but Rubino and his colleagues believe the gut is the key player.
Andrea Midmer, 59, a nurse, took part in the trial, in which a plastic liner or "endobarrier" was fitted into her stomach to stop the walls of her upper gut coming into contact with the food she ate.
"The effect was immediate," said Midmer, who weighed 20 stone and was on insulin when the trial started. I stopped feeling hungry, I ate much smaller meals and I lost 4½ stone."

Type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to obesity, is one of Britain's biggest health problems and affects about four million people.

Treatment costs £10 billion a year - about 10 per cent of the NHS budget. That figure is expected to rise to 17 per cent if the numbers suffering from the condition his five million, as is predicted, by 2025.
The increased number of people with the disease has been linked to rising levels of obesity.
Between 1993 and 2010 the proportion of obese people in the UK went from 13 per cent to 26 per cent for men and from 16 per cent to 26 per cent for women.

How to Manage and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

Six tips from Dr David Cavan, the UK's leading expert on diabetes self-management and author of Reverse Your Diabetes: The Step-by-Step Plan to Take Control of Type 2 Diabetes.

1. Limit yourself to two standard alcoholic drinks a day. Alcohol is high in calories and can lead to weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Moderate alcohol intake is associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Cider, sweet wines and some beers are best avoided as the can have high sugar or carbohydrate content.
2. Drink water, coffee or tea instead of fruit juice and fizzy drinks. Sugar-sweetened beverages increase the risk of type 2 diabetes including fruit juices and smoothies. Caffeine may be beneficial but only as unsweetened tea or coffee - not a latte or cappuccino.
3. Eat at least three servings of green leafy vegetables every day. These contain vitamins, fibre and are very low in calories. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes are best eaten in moderation as they can have a similar effect as sugar in leading to a rapid rise in blood glucose. Eating more than three pieces of fruit a day does not appear to protect from type 2 diabetes.
4. Snack on a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or unsweetened yoghurt. They're low in sugar, as opposed to biscuits, chocolate bars and cakes which are high in sugar, fat and calories.
5. Choose poultry, fish or lean cuts of white meat. Red and processed meats are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Meals prepared with fresh, unprocessed meat are preferable to ready-made or 'fast food' meals.
6. Buy whole-grain bread, rice and pasta. White bread and white rice are turned into glucose rapidly; excess consumption of white rice is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/25/british-doctors-trialsimple-gut-operation-cures-controls-diabetes/