Can I Get Abdominal Liposuction in an Effort To Ameliorate Insulin Resistance? (photo)

This is actually a fascinating topic.  It seems that the intra-abdominal fat (visceral fat) is the key player in insulin resistance, and that subcutaneous fat doesn't do much here.  Since liposuction doesn't touch the intra-abdominal fat, it's perhaps not surprising that 2 out of 3 studies found little improvement in insulin resistance following liposuction. 

   There is some data to suggest improvement in lipid metabolism in diabetic patients.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Liposuction doesn't address visceral fat, and it does nothing to build muscle and improve your cardiovascular health. If you were to get liposuction, it would really just be for cosmetic benefit. 

Nice idea but very little medical series/studies to bare this out at this time. There are many anecdotal reports but no blinded studies to date. If you still wish to proceed you will need the OK from your internist and find a PS to do at least 4 liters of fat removal. This is NOT covered by health insurance, BTW!. Also Zerona is useless in attaining this amounts of fat removal. Best of luck from MIAMI 

You should undergo liposuction for body contouring purposes, there is very little medical evidence that it would actually decrease the insulin requirements of a diabetic. It is possible that there it may occur but that would be beneficial side effect not an expected outcome. Also liposuction does not permanently remove fat. Any long-term stability of the fat reduction is a function of the patient's lifestyle and the stability of heir body weight.

There have been some studies in the literature that do suggest that for some patientd their diabetes is improved.  However, I would suggest diet and exercise to lower the fat content first.

While a few studies have shown improved metabolic blood profiles after liposuction, it should not be considered a treatment for insulin resistance. Visceral fat is the fat around your internal abdominal organs and cannot be removed by liposuction. It is better to focus on a proper diet and exercise program to achieve your goal.

Although there are some studies showing some improvement of diabetes after liposuction, this is not an ideal way to control it. There is some evidence that what liposuction does is reset the satiation center in the brain so you automatically eat less. This has also worked with Zerona laser fat reduction. Both also require a change in diet. This has to consist of reducing the sugars and carbohydrates in the diet while maintaining the protein and good fat. You also want to eat less cooked or processed foods. To accomplish this without liposuction or Zerona, you need to gradually change what you eat, not go on a diet and suddenly change your intake.

You can get metabolic benefits from liposuctiuon, but a lot of fat needs to be removed. Stay on a healthy diet after surgery. When you loose the weight, your health should improve. Discuss this with your surgeon Thomas Narsete, M.D.