Background

Bariatric surgery has been applied for weight loss and comorbidity control in China since 2000. Recent studies have shown positive results for bariatric surgery in patients with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 35 kg/m². However, the effect of surgery on Chinese patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not yet been systematically investigated.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was performed in the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science from January 2014 to March 2020. All studies examined bariatric surgery outcomes on Chinese patients at 12-, 36-, and 60-month follow-up. The research followed the guidance of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) recommendations.

Results

Eleven studies containing 611 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Clinical indices at 12-, 36-, and 60-month follow-up were analyzed. Significant decreases were identified in body weight, BMI, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (hemoglobin A1c, or HbA1c), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) postoperatively. An increasing trend in the T2DM remission rate was discovered. The remission group was observed to have significantly lower HbA1c and C-peptide level, a shorter duration of T2DM, and a higher BMI than the nonremission group at 12 months.

Conclusions

Bariatric surgery successfully provided significant BMI control as well as a reduction and normalization of glucose- and lipid-related metabolism at 12, 36, and 60 months postoperatively in Chinese patients with T2DM with a preoperative BMI of less than 35 kg/m². An increasing trend in the T2DM remission rate suggested promising future applications in this population.

Graphical abstract