More About the EndoBarrier

Does it Work?

Results show that 83% of patients with Type 2 Diabetes showed a decrease in their HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin - your blood glucose levels over two to three months) of 7.0% or lower.  

3 out of 4 patients with Type 2 Diabetes reported a resolution of their Type 2 Diabetes, a development which enabled them to stop taking their anti-diabetes medication altogether.

After 12 weeks with the EndoBarrier, all patients had achieved excess weight loss of 11.9-22%.

Who is the EndoBarrier Suitable for?

The EndoBarrier is for people who:

• Have Type 2 Diabetes
• Are aged over 18
• Who have struggled to lose weight by other methods
• Do not want bariatric surgery (like a gastric bypass)

That's me! So, can I have it?

Do you have £7,000 and live in the UK, Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, or Switzerland?

If you don't have the money and you live in the UK, your only other hope is to schmooze your way onto the Imperial College London EndoBarrier Clinical Trial (see Links). But, be aware that, unless you're randomised into the EndoBarrier group, you'll be following a diet and exercise programme for a year (and, if you get into the EndoBarrier group, be aware that it gets taken out after a year).

What? I thought this was the new miracle cure!

The outlook is very promising. But it's still being tested and is not widely available yet.

So, what else do you have to tell me?

Even if you meet the criteria, the EndoBarrier may not be suitable for you.

These common conditions will prevent you having an EndoBarrier:

• A peptic (stomach) ulcer
• Bleeding disorder (such as haemophilia)
• A history of digestive surgery

Are there any potential side-effects?

Side-effects are rare. But they do happen.

• Abdominal pain on the right side.
• Bloating
• Nausea/vomiting
• Rarely, the EndoBarrier may become dislodged and has to be removed (though the anchor has recently been improved)

READ Will a Tax on High-Fat Foods Rescue Americans from the Obesity Pandemic?

So, is the EndoBarrier a good idea or isn't it?

Some are very optimistic about the potential for the EndoBarrier to improve Type 2 Diabetes, support medically-beneficial weight loss and boost our general health.

Dr Aruchuna Mohanaruban, of St. Mary's Hospital London, is very enthusiastic about its potential, saying: "The EndoBarrier could be a powerful weapon in the fight against obesity."

Chair of the National Obesity Forum, Professor David Haslam, is tentative but  upbeat, saying: "It’s very promising but we have to wait for the trial results."

Not everyone is greeting the new surgery-free gastric band with such enthusiasm, though. Diabetes expert, Mike Lean, Professor of human nutrition at Glasgow University, accused the EndoBarrier of a "veterinary approach" and said it "cannot have long-term benefits."

So, what is the answer?

Perhaps we should give the last word to Dr Emily Burns, from charity Diabetes UK, who says: "While weight loss surgery for type 2 diabetes is an important treatment option, it should not be seen as a way to fix the type 2 and the obesity epidemic on its own"

Good advice.

So, whether the EndoBarrier is right for you, remember: no medical procedure invented is a substitute for a healthy, balanced diet and exercise that you enjoy.