Studies have shown that people who have had cholecystectomy have an increased risk of developing diabetes. These means that preventive activities to suppress diabetes occurrence are necessary. Approximately 70,000 people in Korea receive gallbladder resection for reasons such as cholelithiasis and cholecystitis. There are about 250,000 patients with cholelithiasis.
A joint research team led by Professors Kang Joon-gu and Heo Ji-hye of the Department of Endocrinology at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital and Professor Kyung-ju Lee of the Department of Gastroenterology at Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital followed 55,166 patients who underwent cholecystectomy from 2010 to 2015 to see if they developed diabetes until 2019. The difference was compared with a group of these patients (110,000 people) who had the same gender and age but had not undergone cholecystectomy.
As a result of the study, people who underwent cholecystectomy had a 20% increased risk of developing diabetes compared to those who did not. The increased risk of developing diabetes due to cholecystectomy was found to be 5 percentage points higher than the increased risk of developing diabetes due to obesity, the most important risk factor for developing diabetes. In other words, cholecystectomy had a greater impact on the incidence than obesity. The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Surgery.
The gallbladder, commonly called the gallbladder, functions to concentrate and store bile. When you eat, the gallbladder sends the stored bile down to the intestines. The bile helps digest fat, metabolizes cholesterol in the body, and regulates blood sugar.
Professor Kang Joon-gu said, “This study clinically proved the theory that the gallbladder plays an important role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis in the body.” It is absolutely necessary to continuously monitor blood sugar,” he said.
