The International Diabetes Federation has released its Position Statement on Bariatric Surgery. The paper suggests bariatric surgery to be considered earlier in the treatment of eligible patients (BMI more than 35 kg/m2), to help prevent the serious complications that can result from diabetes. The position paper was presented to leading experts at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes in New York on 28 March 2011.

    The statement was written by experts in diabetes and bariatric surgery and contains a series of recommendations on the use of weight loss surgery as a cost effective treatment option for severely obese people with type 2 diabetes.

    The statement highlights the increasing evidence that the health of obese people with type 2 diabetes, including their glucose control and other obesity related co-morbidities (conditions), can benefit substantially from bariatric surgery under certain circumstances. The IDF Taskforce on Epidemiology and Prevention convened the expert group with specific goals to: