In The Battle Against Rampant Diabetes, Reducing Hunger Hormone Ghrelin May Be The Ultimate Solution, Says Noted Surgeon Dr. Michael Feiz

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Renowned bariatric surgeon, Michael Feiz, M.D., F.A.C.S., has some thoughts on fighting the seemingly unstoppable spread of type 2 diabetes; it all comes down to reducing the body's production of a particular hormone through such procedures as gastric sleeve surgery. The ghrelin hormone appears to be responsible for sending hunger messages to the brain and may be the primary reason many of us often feel hungry even after we've eaten more than enough food. Evidence seems to suggest that overweight people, and especially overweight people who are attempting to lose weight through diet and exercise, may be more vulnerable to increased production of the hormone than others. Such highly effective bariatric procedures as the gastric sleeve remove 75-85% of the stomach, including the fundus area, the apparent center of the body's production of ghrelin.

In purportedly health-conscious California, the U.S. Center for Disease Control reports that diabetes rates jumped by 38% between 1995 and 2010, with a full 8.2% of the population now qualifying as diabetic. This is genuinely tragic, as type 2 diabetes can be even more devastating to individuals than you might already think. Type 2 diabetes not only threatens to shorten lifespans, but also basic quality of life – just ask the people who have lost limbs, their eyesight, or even major bodily organs such as kidneys.

It's no wonder then that, aside from the psychological and social factors which make weight loss desirable, more and more seriously overweight people are exploring every option available for weight loss and/or diabetes prevention. While such techniques as F.D.A. compliant lap band surgery and traditional diet and exercise can be highly effective, techniques that attack ghrelin at the source are looking more attractive than ever.

Of course, bariatric surgery is not appropriate for everyone and not all cases of type 2 diabetes are directly tied to excessive weight. Indeed, new studies are also showing that there is some chance that increased consumption of beta-carotene rich foods such as carrots may help delay the illness for those with a genetic predisposition. However, as the prevalence of diabetes continues to increase alongside the numbers of seriously obese Americans, reducing the power of the hormone which makes us overeat seems to potentially be the most promising anti-diabetes technique of all.

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