Diabetes and Nutritional Screening in Post-Bariatric Patients

With the rise of obesity there has been a concomitant increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). As a result, the term “diabesity” has become a popular disease entity in the past several years. When lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy fail to achieve successful weight loss and diabetes control, bariatric surgery is a recommended treatment option. Bariatric surgery has been shown to promote sustained T2DM remission in 30-63% of patients and improve other components of metabolic syndrome; thus a preferred term has been “metabolic surgery”. As the practice of bariatric surgery for the treatment of T2DM increases, so will the number of patients with T2DM not achieving remission or with T2DM recurrence. There are currently no clear evidence-based guidelines delineating the proper management of T2DM in post-bariatric surgery patients. The focus of this review is to discuss current data on the efficacy of bariatric surgery in promoting T2DM remission, factors that predict T2DM remission and recurrence, and current treatment options for persistent hyperglycemia in post-bariatric surgery patients. To increase long-term T2DM remission and prevent or delay recurrence, post-bariatric surgery patients need close follow up to encourage adherence to healthy nutrition and lifestyle practices that will lead to sustained weight loss. In addition to this, patients need adequate nutritional supplementation and periodic screening for vitamin, mineral and protein deficiencies. Therefore, we will conclude with a brief review of current recommendations for nutritional deficiency screening and supplementation.