Bariatric surgery: a cutting-edge cure for Type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is rapidly becoming a global health crisis. It is associated with multiple comorbidities and is placing an ever increasing financial burden on society. There is now a need to explore new methods of tackling this problem. A growing pool of evidence suggests that bariatric surgery has the potential to cure Type 2 diabetes in a select population and provide additional benefits for many of its associated comorbidities. Whilst there are various proposals that explain these phenomena, current research suggests the cause is mainly due to increased post surgical release of insulin promoting gut hormones. The aim of this paper is to introduce some of the complex issues surrounding the use of bariatric surgery in Type 2 diabetes and highlight the controversial aspects encompassing this topic.