Obesity Surgery Reverses Diabetes in Teens, Too

Obesity surgery can reverse diabetes in teens, just as it does in adults, according to a small study.

In a report from the Associated Press, the study states all but one of the 11 extremely obese teens studied saw their diabetes disappear within a year after weight-loss surgery, the researchers reported. The 11th patient still had diabetes, but needed much less insulin and stopped taking diabetes pills. The results are in the January issue of Pediatrics.

After one year, those who had surgery had lost between 72 and 218 pounds, although none had dropped to a normal weight. For 10 of them, their diabetes was in remission and they stopped taking diabetes medicine.