Blood fat levels predict diabetes remission following gastric bypass surgery

A newly developed test could help doctors more accurately predict whether individuals who undergo gastric bypass surgery will experience a remission of type 2 diabetes within two years of the procedure, according to University of Utah Health scientists.

The test, which measures blood levels of ceramides, a waxy, fat-like substance similar to cholesterol, can also be used to assess the likelihood that a gastric bypass patient will have a recurrence of type 2 diabetes within a decade.

“These human studies validate our prior findings in rodents that ceramides are major drivers of diabetes. They also reveal a new tool in the physician’s arsenal for managing the health of the increasing number of people undergoing bariatric surgery,” says Scott Summers, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study and co-director of the Diabetes Metabolism Research Center.

The study appears in Med, a Cell Press medical journal.

In previous studies, Summers and his colleagues found that ceramides can reduce the amount of insulin a body can produce or use, increasing the likelihood that a person will develop type 2 diabetes. Intrigued, they decided to examine the association between ceramides, diabetes, and severe obesity.

More than 24 million Americans are severely obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). As a result, many of them have a substantial risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other severe conditions. For some of these individuals, gastric bypass surgery is often the best option.

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