While health experts have always debated the role of bariatric surgery in controlling type 2 diabetes, a 5–year study, which was conducted on 52 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, says that it is definitely beneficial.

According to the study which was recently published in a medical journal, laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is a safe, efficacious, and cost–effective treatment for uncontrolled type 2 diabetes in patients having a high body mass index. A 96.2% improvement was found in the metabolic rate of the 52 patients at the end of five years.

Dr Muffazal Lakdwala, who headed the study said, "It is one of the longest running studies and proves without doubt that diabetes can be controlled for five years, more with gastric bypass surgery in those with body mass index (BMI) of 30–35."

Dr Lakdawala of Saifee Hospital, Mumbai, had operated on BJP president Nitin Gadkari in September last year. Gadkari, who was finding it difficult to bring his sugar under control for some time, underwent a gastric bypass surgery for treatment of the disease.

Doctors are encouraging people to go under the knife to control diabetes. Diabetologists and obesity surgeons are also coming together to tackle the increasing number of such patients. They say this will help patients explore other options to control diabetes.

Morbid obesity, in which a person has a BMI of more than 35, is on the rise. Obesity which has very definite health implications leads to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems and breathing difficulty.