Thun is another Swiss1Surgery site

The need for professional services in obesity surgery is increasing. Also in Thun and the surrounding area. And so it was only a logical step that the clinic of Dr. Naef in Thun now became part of the network of specialized facilities of Swiss1Chirurgie. You can learn more about this in the article.

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We at the swiss1chirurgie clinic wish our patients, our referring physicians, our staff, our partners and colleagues a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The year 2018 was a great year for many of us! For some, however, it is also associated with suffering, pain, illness and grief. We think of those whom we could not save despite all our efforts and our thoughts are with their relatives.

We always work with the highest knowledge and conscience. Our surgeons Dr Zehetner and Dr Steffen always strive to achieve the best possible individual result.

For 2019, we wish everyone good health, lots of motivation, good resolutions and also good success in putting them into practice!

Our clinic will be closed from 22.12.2018 to 06.01.2019 inclusive, then we will be motivated again in the swiss1chirurgie clinic to be available for your registrations, enquiries and requests. However, in urgent cases, the surgeons of Bern Visceral Surgery at the Beau-Site Clinic are available for you. For emergencies, please use the Beau-Site clinic, which is open around the clock for emergencies.

What will be new in 2019?

Outpatient surgery in the canton of Bern

This applies to our clinic in the area of #haemmorrhoid surgery or for unilateral #inguinal hernia operations. Here we will inform you about the possible changes during a consultation in our clinic.

Website / Info blogs / Social Media

We will be even more motivated to update our channels to provide the best possible information about our #swiss1chirurgie clinic. We will plan lectures and contributions especially on the topic of #reflux (heartburn, acid reflux) and on the topic of #overweight (drug therapy, surgical therapy). Take a regular look at our pages www.zfbc.ch and www.swiss1chirurgie.ch.

For everyone in Bern and the surrounding area

We will register as a group zfbc (Centre for Bariatric Surgery) at the Bern GP for the Old Town Run (5km). And as a group together with our staff and patients, if anyone is interested in running with us. Here you will find the most important information about the registration and the programme of the #BernGP.

“Team zfbc” together at the Old Town GP 2019 in Bern!

The Grand Prix will take place in Bern on Saturday, 11 May 2019. As “Team zfbc” we would like to tackle the old town route (4.7 km) together. The distance can either be run or walked.

Participation is free for the first 20 registered persons! For further participants the entry fee is CHF 43.00. Each participant will also receive a “zfbc” running shirt.

Registration: hand in the form at the clinic or send an email to bc@hin.ch

Registration deadline: Sunday, 31 March 2019

You can find more info here.

Quick BMI calculator for the health conscious

The new BMI calculator from the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) and swiss1chirurgie combines a high level of convenience with the best tips for any treatment needs.

If you want to know your weight, you stand on the scales. But if you want to know a little more about your physical condition, you can now use the new BMI calculator from the ZfbC/swiss1chirurgie. Without long calculations, the digital BMI calculator determines the body mass index quickly, reliably and with only a few entries, which provides important information about whether the body weight is a health risk.

Just by stating the current weight, height and age, conclusions can be drawn as to whether the values are within the norm or above it. These personal details can be supplemented by the desired weight, details of physical activity and any efforts to achieve weight loss.

The more information is provided, the more concrete the calculations and also the statements on whether there is an urgent need for action and how and under what time frame the weight can be positively influenced under the given conditions.

The new BMI calculator of the Centre for Bariatric Surgery Bern is available on the website of the ZfbC https://www.zfbc.ch/bmi/   and swiss1chirurgie https://www.swiss1chirurgie.ch/bmi/ as well as in the newly developed app https://m.swiss1chirurgie.ch#/module/5784837 and can be used immediately. In this way, health-conscious people can in fact check their current status at any time and from anywhere, even with their smartphone, and make decisions to optimise their body weight in terms of health. The link between the BMI calculator and the medical tips for the prevention and treatment of morbid overweight (obesity) is extremely interesting. Causes, correlations and effects are presented here just as comprehensibly as the treatment approaches of the ZfbC.

The BMI calculator of the ZfbC/swiss1chirurgie has the potential to cause a sensation not only in Switzerland but also internationally. The new BMI calculator will therefore also be presented by Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner at a congress to be held soon in the USA, CHINA, MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE and ASIA. There, the digital BMI calculator will be able to show directly what it can really do. The interest of the experts is just as great as the need of the population. After all, the USA is one of the countries in the world where morbid obesity is one of the main causes of secondary diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders and diseases, heart attacks and strokes due to obesity. This also includes the psychological and social impairments that are often associated with being significantly overweight.

With the convenient BMI calculator of the ZfbC, the way to an easy digital calculation of the Body Mass Index is opened for medical laymen as well as for medical specialists. Although BMI alone is not a definitive measure of treatment options, it is an important indicator of whether treatment is needed and under what circumstances the best treatment outcomes can be achieved.

To the swiss1chirurgie BMI calculator

With Swiss1Chirurgie and the ZfbC to the Grand Prix in Bern

The GP Bern has been one of the world’s best-known popular races with international appeal since 1982. The Old Town Run and the Grand Prix Bern are among the ten most beautiful courses in the world and are also visited time and again by international running celebrities.

We want to take part in the run together with employees and patients of the ZfbC and Swiss1Chirurgie as a team on 09 May 2020. The registration period is running. You can find out more about the Grand Prix Bern with Swiss1Chirurgie and ZfbC as well as the possibilities for team participation in the detailed article (LINK).

We look forward to your registration and to a wonderful day in May!

Your

Jörg Zehetner

With Swiss1Chirurgie and the ZfbC to the Grand Prix in Bern

The Grand Prix Bern has been an integral part of Switzerland’s running calendar since 1982. International runners have also long since discovered the challenging 10-mile race for themselves and names such as three-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele from Ethiopia, world champion Martina Strähl from Switzerland or Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) grace the start lists of the Bern Grand Prix alongside national and international athletics celebrities.

The Grand Prix Bern is not only a gathering of the world’s best runners, but also a meeting place for ambitious amateur athletes from all walks of life. Whoever tackles the easy to challenging run on the road between 4.8 and 16.01 kilometres knows they are in the company of the great athletes of our time. More important than that, however, is the certainty that taking part in the Old Town Run (4.8 kilometres) or the Grand Prix (16.01 kilometres) is a challenge for body and psyche and always a good contribution to maintaining and improving health and fitness.

Swiss1Chirurgie and ZfbC invite you to the run

In 2019, Swiss1Chirurgie and the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) have again participated as a team in the GP Bern. And that should be the case again in 2020. Both employees of Swiss1Chirurgie and the ZfbC as well as patients with the appropriate will and physical conditions can participate as team players in the Old Town Run or the Grand Prix.

The doctors and therapists from Swiss1Chirurgie and ZfbC are particularly committed to the patients in advance. Thus, former and current patients can get individual advice from the specialists and also receive sport and health advice in preparation for the GP Bern. After all, the point of participation is not to achieve best values, but to aim for very personal goals, taking into account individual conditions. Ultimately, participation in the Old Town Run or the Grand Prix should be a contribution to the health and fitness of the participants. This is the deeper meaning of such a popular race, as Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner also knows from his own experience of participating in many long-distance races.

Application deadline runs

As “Team swiss1chirurgie &zfbc” we want to compete together with staff and patients in the Old Town Run and Grand Prix in Bern on 09 May 2020. Staff and patients can now sign up to participate in the registration list. The deadline for registration is 29 March 2020. The lists of participants are available in our clinics. Participants can also register online via the Swiss1Chirurgie app.

Participation is free of charge for the first 20 registered participants. All registered participants will receive a team shirt for the run on 09 May 2020 in Bern. We are already looking forward to a lively interest. Because last but not least, taking part in the Altstadtlauf or the Grand Prix Bern is a good contribution to keeping healthy and is even more fun as a team.

Even more information about the GP Bern and participation is available at www.gpbern.ch and of course on the Swiss1ChirurgieVictoryAPP (LINK).

SINA LARK – Sina Gossweiler on her way to the top

It is a long way

The Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) and Swiss1Chirurgie specialise, among other things, in patients who are seeking comprehensive medical help with accompanying care due to a serious and morbid obesity problem. Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner, as the leading mind behind the ZfbC and Swiss1Chirurgie, knows that the path from severely overweight patients to a happier and fulfilled life is not an easy one. For decades, he has treated and cared for patients who nevertheless take this long journey. Clear progress can be seen just as much as an occasional relapse into old habits and the difficult fight against obesity and the prejudices associated with it.

Sina Gossweiler has embarked on a long journey

Dr Jörg Zehetner has also been able to count Sina Gossweiler among his patients for several years. Many people know the young woman from the show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (DSDS), where the Wattenwil native was able to convince with a magnificent voice, and also got into the recall, but not further. The young singer is also known for her fight against obesity, which she finally took up with the professional help of the ZfbC after some back and forth and repeated self-diets.

 

 

A gastric bypass operation  was finally the right and appropriate way for her to move into a weight-wise and also psychologically lighter future. It was clear from the beginning that this journey does not end with the surgical intervention, but in fact requires follow-up care in a professional environment throughout life. Sina has fought this battle successfully so far and now feels visibly more comfortable in her own skin. In addition to learning healthy eating habits, as well as exercise and sport, she has now reached a healthy weight.

When Sina Lark was also successful in the music business

And in terms of music, too, the signs are pointing to success. Even though the DSDS recall almost exactly a year ago didn’t lead any further, the likeable musician is now standing there with her head held high. With their first single “Everything I Want To Be” they got off to a great start in the charts. As Sina Lark, the self-confident young woman makes her commercial debut in the music business and can already enjoy a great deal of attention.

Not only did her new song run for the first time as Song of the Day on SRF 3 at the beginning of February 2020, but a live performance on 14.02.2020, between 19:00 and 20:00 on the station will also show how consistently and with what passion Sina is looking for the way to the top and has now perhaps even already found it. Then she will present two songs live on the SRF 3 programme “Punkt CH”. Her new single will also be presented as “Hit of the Day” on 14.02.2020.

Listen to the song now!

A long road brings many challenges

If you take both the gastric bypass operation and the musical path together, it becomes clear that Sina Gossweiler has already taken the long road very successfully as Sina Lark. This gives the soon to be 21-year-old woman from the canton of Bern even more strength to continue on her path now more than ever. On the one hand, this path leads downwards when it comes to weight. On the other hand, it is also the ascent into a new life that Sina has paved for herself with her musical talent. The fact that both directions always involve a lot of effort, challenges, stamina and also the odd setback is impressively demonstrated by Sina Gossweiler’s still young story.

In the end, it is up to each individual to decide how to deal with his or her own problems. Getting the best help at the right time also proved to be a real stroke of luck in this particular case.

The first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is here

With its first magazine, Swiss1Chirurgie addresses all patients and those hungry for information who want to learn more about the topics of morbid obesity or about reflux disease.

We work our way forward in interesting articles on these topics and also provide interesting information about our clinics and the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC).

You can find out more about the magazine itself and the contents in detail in the detailed article.

You can pick up a printed copy of the magazine in the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics. Those who can no longer get a copy or prefer to read online can obtain the magazine via the following link: https://v.calameo.com/?bkcode=006115199635078f16024&mode=mini&clickto=embed&autoflip=4

We hope you enjoy reading and look forward to your feedback or meeting you in person at one of our locations in Brig, Bern or Solothurn.

Your Swiss1Chirurgie

Dr. Jörg Zehetner

The first edition of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is out. The magazine is now available as a printed copy in our clinics in Brig, Bern and Solothurn. For those who prefer to read the first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine online, it is also available for download via the Swiss1Chirurgie app or on the Swiss1Chirurgie website.

To the contents

We are happy to inform you now, more or less in advance, about the thematic focal points of the magazine in the March 2020 edition.

Morbid obesity, a widespread affliction

A major focus is morbid obesity. From stigmatisation to treatment options, you will learn a lot in the magazine that is worth knowing, new, interesting and particularly informative for those affected. In this way, we do not simply want to disseminate scientific findings, but above all to show the individual path to change. In an easily understandable yet correct form.

To this end, we have approached this still very difficult topic in the magazine with various articles, statements, reports and testimonials. We hope that this will pave a new way for overweight people in particular to get informed and ultimately take the right steps to treat their morbid obesity.

At this point, the reports by and about Sina Gossweiler, also known as Sina Lark in the music scene, should be of particular interest. The young woman is not only known from the show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (DSDS), but has also been fighting against morbid obesity for a long time. Obviously with success.

Reflux – When acid regurgitation becomes a torment

Another main topic in the first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is reflux disease. Persistent, chronic acid regurgitation is not only unpleasant and annoying, it can also have real medical significance. Especially when the oesophagus is attacked by the constant confrontation with stomach acid. Consequential symptoms can extend to oesophageal cancer.

Here we also take the opportunity to present different medical and surgical procedures for the treatment of reflux disease in a little more detail.

Portrait of our locations

The first issue of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine also gives us the opportunity to present our locations in Brig, Solothurn and Berne in more detail. You will not only learn interesting facts about the clinics themselves, but also about the doctors who are there for you every day.

We will also focus on the Centre for Bariatric Surgery Bern (ZfbC) and show you how the scientific work is being further developed there. A number of different specialist papers and support for bariatric surgery worldwide shows the expertise with which this centre is equipped.

New app makes access to specialist medical services more tangible

We would also be pleased to introduce you to the new Swiss1Chirurgie app. Many people already know them and may also use them to read this article. Anyone who is not yet familiar with the new Swiss1Chirurgie app is expressly invited here to download and use it free of charge.

A wealth of information, a direct line to the medical specialist and support before, during and after treatment are just some of the many benefits that you can enjoy with the Swiss1Chirurgie app.

Take advantage of this opportunity and simply pick up your print copy of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine in the clinic or download the online version to your device.

I hope you enjoy reading

Your Swiss1Chirurgie
Dr. Jörg Zehetner

What is LINX, what can LINX do?

Swiss1Chirurgie informs – The LINX System

Constant acid regurgitation is not only annoying, but can also cause serious secondary diseases. What is summarised in technical language as reflux is an extremely unpleasant restriction of the quality of life for those affected.

The LINX system has been available for years for reflux therapy and has led to extremely positive results. You can find out what LINX is, what LINX can do and how it works in the detailed article, in the video or on the Swiss1Chirurgie website.

Learn more about the reflux therapy procedure

There are probably around 20 percent of the population who regularly or chronically complain of reflux of stomach acid into the oesophagus. However, acid regurgitation is not only extremely unpleasant, but can also cause serious health problems, including oesophageal cancer.

With LINX, a system is available that can effectively prevent the backflow of gastric juice into the oesophagus. This system is used as part of a minimally invasive surgical operation. After placement of the LINX system, the symptoms subside and patients can return to a normal life in most cases.

What is LINX?

In principle, the LINX system is a magnetic ring chain. At first glance, the system can be compared to an elastic pearl necklace, whereby here the pearls are on magnets that are titanium-coated and thus completely harmless to the organism. Due to the attractive forces acting on the magnetic beads, they are repeatedly attracted to each other in the absence of counterpressure, which leads to a narrowing of the chain. When mechanical tension is applied to the system, the chain expands and widens the passage.

What can LINX do?

The LINX system is placed around the lower end of the oesophagus in a minor surgical procedure. The attraction of the titanium-coated magnetic beads creates a reliable closure of the oesophageal outlet without compressing the oesophagus. Only when, for example, a certain internal pressure is exerted on the oesophagus by the intake of food, does the magnetic ring open so that the food pulp or even liquids can enter the stomach unhindered. In this way, the normal function of the oesophagus is efficiently supported and the reflux of gastric juice into the oesophagus can be prevented. The bottom line is that LINX is strong enough to close the oesophageal junction into the stomach, but weak enough to allow air to escape from the stomach or vomiting to occur.

Practical experience

The LINX system has been known and proven for years. In the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics, this system is preferably used for reflux therapy whenever possible. The experience is extremely good, which includes that there are hardly any complications with the system during and after the surgical procedure. Since 2015, Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner has already treated over 250 patients with the LINX system. For most people with reflux symptoms, this system is the first choice, provided there is otherwise normal oesophageal function.

In order to assess this condition, a preliminary assessment of oesophageal function and reflux symptoms is essential. This preliminary examination includes a gastroscopy and a functional test of the oesophagus. Ideally, these examinations are supplemented by manometry, which means measuring the pressure in the oesophagus.

Would you like more information? Do you yourself have complaints due to acid reflux? Then watch the video with Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner, visit the Swiss1Chirurgie website or make an appointment at one of the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics in Bern, Brig or Solothurn.

https://v.calameo.com/?bkcode=0061151993dbd1bbf97d6&mode=mini&showsharemenu=false&clickto=embed&autoflip=4

Fatty liver and diabetes – the connections

Dr. med. Michaela Neagu FMH Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine GGP Bern

In a lecture by the gastroenterological group practice GGP Bern AG (a company of Helvetius Holding AG), the gastroenterologist Dr. med. Michaela Neagu illustrates the connections between fatty liver and diabetes. Following the lecture, it becomes clear that fatty liver and diabetes form a vicious circle in which both diseases trigger and drive each other. In addition to diagnostics and the effects on overall health, the lecture also opens up a clear picture of how the course of the disease can be successfully influenced and, in the best case, reversed. We have made the lecture by Dr Michaela Neagu available in text form, but also as a video lecture and as a PowerPoint presentation. You can find out more here.

Chapter selection : Start video Select menu bar at the bottom right or dots !
Full screen : Start video Select menu bar bottom right and !

Fatty liver disease and diabetes mellitus – are there correlations?

The experts at Helvetius Holding AG clarify

In a lecture by GGP Bern AG, Dr. med. Michaela Neagu presented the connections between fatty liver disease and diabetes mellitus. This is less about medical jargon and more about educating people about what a fatty liver is, what it means for people’s lives and whether there is a connection to diabetes mellitus.

Dr Michaela Neagu is a specialist in gastroenterology (gastrointestinal diseases) and general internal medicine in the Gastroenterology Group Practice Bern, a partner of Helvetius Holding AG, and has extensive experience and expertise in her specialist field.

In her lecture, Michaela Neagu, MD, highlights the clear connections between fatty liver and diabetes mellitus.

The fatty liver disease

Basically, a distinction is made between alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic (metabolic) fatty liver disease. As the different names suggest, one form of fatty liver disease is related to excessive alcohol consumption, the other has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. In addition, there are manifestations such as viral liver diseases, autoimmune diseases, iron storage disorders and other conditions that promote fatty liver disease or make it possible in the first place.

Worldwide, about 25 percent of the population is affected by fatty liver disease. This makes fatty liver the most common liver disease of all. Among diabetics themselves, about 30 to 40 percent have a fatty liver. Also, about half of patients with severe dyslipidemia suffer from fatty liver disease.

How does a fatty liver develop?

A fatty liver occurs when the capacity of the liver cells to absorb fat is exceeded. This causes fat to be deposited in the liver itself, which can no longer be broken down by the liver. The accumulation of fat in the liver cells causes these cells to become inflamed and then send out messenger substances that inhibit the supply of insulin to the liver. Eventually, a kind of insulin resistance develops, so that insulin cannot work in the body as nature intended.

As a result, hyperglycaemia occurs in the body. This sends out a stimulus that causes even more insulin to be produced. The increased insulin level then further leads to increased fat absorption, fat synthesis and fat storage as well. This creates a cycle of action that deposits more and more fat in the liver, but also generally increases fat storage in the body far beyond normal levels.

What do people affected by fatty liver notice?

It is sobering to note that about half of all those affected live practically asymptomatic and accordingly do not worry at all about their liver health, for example. On the one hand, this may have a calming effect, but on the other hand, it is an alarm signal that effective therapeutic interventions only start late, usually very late.

Some patients experience general but rather non-specific fatigue. A certain faintness and perhaps once undifferentiated slight pain in the upper abdomen indicate that a serious condition could be present here. Mostly, however, this is not taken seriously by the patients themselves.

As a result, in most cases the fatty liver remains an incidental finding that only comes to light during the treatment of other diseases. This could be, for example, elevated liver values during a health check or visible changes in the liver during a standard ultrasound examination.

In general, there is a risk that untreated fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis. At the latest then, those affected realise that their liver is sick. Typical signs are then the well-known large water belly, certain bypass circuits in the organism and other signs come very late, however. In practice, everything is possible with the clinical picture of fatty liver, from no symptoms to severe and dangerous courses of the disease.

Between 50 and 90 percent of people with fatty liver are obese, i.e. clearly overweight. Signs of a metabolic syndrome are recognisable.

How can a fatty liver be diagnosed with certainty?

A few years ago, biopsy was the method of choice when the condition of the liver cells needed to be determined more precisely. To do this, a needle is inserted directly into the organ and a small tissue sample is taken. This tissue sample can then be further examined for fatty liver cells.

Thanks to advances in medical technology, we can now diagnose fatty liver without a biopsy in 90 percent of cases. With different imaging methods such as ultrasound or computer tomography, absolutely painless examinations can be carried out today without interfering with the body. Thanks to the excellent presentation, the fat content in the liver can be determined comparatively well with reliable values.

The basis for the evaluation of the ultrasound examinations is, for example, a comparison of liver and kidney tissue. If both organs are healthy, they have approximately the same structure and colour in the image. If the kidney tissue appears darker than that of the liver, then the lighter parts in the liver indicate fat deposits. In this way, a fatty liver can already be recognised with a fairly high degree of certainty.

If the specialists then decide to take a tissue sample, usually to exclude or detect additional liver diseases, the differences become even clearer. A healthy liver consists of neatly arranged and clearly differentiated cells. In fatty liver, the disturbance of the cell architecture due to the fatty deposits is clearly visible. This becomes even more obvious in the case of a pronounced fatty liver with infected cells.

What is the path to fatty liver

From a healthy liver to a fatty liver always takes time and certain circumstances. Various unfavourable factors cause fat storage in the liver cells, which can then further lead to infection in the liver itself. It doesn’t have to be, but it can be. However, when such an infection takes place, a certain remodelling in the connective tissue is driven forward, which can lead to complete scarring of the liver if left untreated. Then the stage of liver cirrhosis has already been reached. Liver cirrhosis, in turn, is a favourable factor for the development of liver cancer. This applies to about two percent of those affected. But even when liver cirrhosis has not yet been diagnosed, more and more cases of liver cancer in fatty liver are becoming known. And in the USA, fatty liver is now considered the most common reason for liver transplantation.

A look at diabetes mellitus

Usually we are talking about diabetes here. This is diagnosed when chronically elevated sugar levels are found in the blood. The body is over-sugared, so to speak. The factors that cause high blood glucose levels are a reduction in the effect of insulin and, in the course of time, often an insulin deficiency.

Currently, about six percent of the world’s population, including children, are affected by diabetes. In children, type 1 diabetes is mostly observed. With the increase in morbid obesity, also in children, type 2 is also becoming more common. Diabetes can be diagnosed in a very reliable and uncomplicated way in various test procedures.

What does diabetes mellitus mean for people’s lives?

The presence of diabetes mellitus is actually associated with serious risks and consequences for the health and life of those affected. One problem is the damage to the small veins. This mainly affects the kidneys, the retina of the eye and the nervous system. The range extends from relatively mild kidney problems to complete kidney failure requiring dialysis. In the case of retinal diseases, such disorders can lead to blindness due to diabetes mellitus. In terms of damage to the nervous system, there is a loss of certain sensory impressions, which can manifest itself, for example, in patients no longer being able to feel the ground beneath their feet. Problems with coordination and spatial position change are also observed. Gastrointestinal disorders with diarrhoea and other symptoms are also reported. Cardiac arrhythmias can complete the picture.

In addition to damage to the small veins, damage to the large veins is also a consequence of diabetes mellitus. Particularly worth mentioning here are coronary heart diseases. At least here, the risk of diabetes patients is significantly higher compared to the normal population. For diabetics, this risk can be assessed as about twice as high. A full 75 percent of diabetics die from a cardiovascular event.

The risk of suffering a stroke is also about 2.5 times higher than in the comparison group of people without diabetes. A circulatory disorder, especially in the legs, has a risk of 4.5 times more than in the comparison group. The diabetic foot is well known, which is caused by precisely these circulatory disorders and can even lead to the necessary amputation.

Diabetes mellitus also generally increases the risk of infection in relation to practically all infectious diseases.

The relationship of fatty liver and diabetes mellitus

What is special about the relationship between fatty liver disease and diabetes mellitus is the fact that both diseases can be mutual and reciprocal triggers as well as consequences of the other disease. This means: fatty liver patients are or often become diabetics and diabetics often suffer from fatty liver. So there is a causal relationship between fatty liver and diabetes.

Let us imagine a possible course of events: An initially physically completely healthy and normal person begins to gain weight for various reasons. Fat tissue increases and at some point the ability to store fat is exhausted. This then leads to a veritable flooding of the entire organism with free fatty acids. At some point, the organism becomes resistant to the effect of insulin and hyperglycaemia occurs. Now the question arises: Where to put the sugar?

Some of the free fatty acids are deposited in the liver cells, where they lead to the fatty liver already described. This significantly limits the liver’s ability to metabolise healthy fats. In addition, there is an increasingly pronounced insulin residual tendency, which in turn affects blood sugar in the interaction and ultimately leads to type 2 diabetes. Other effects are always included here, such as high blood pressure, disorders of the function of the pancreas, etc.

The mutual condition of fatty liver and diabetes creates a vicious circle that is difficult to break, and then only with radical methodology.

What can be done?

At least up to a body mass index BMI of 30, maximum 35, it is still possible to take countermeasures and something should be done actively. It is worth noting that the fatty liver is reversible, i.e. it can also be regressed. Even if liver infection has already occurred, the process can still be reversed. Timely action is crucial. If cirrhosis of the liver has already occurred, it can hardly be stopped. Nevertheless, even then, consistent lifestyle adjustments and regular check-ups should be aimed at preventing further liver damage.

The way back to a healthy liver is always through a reduction in body weight and a corresponding reduction in the over-fatness of the organism. Even a five percent reduction in body weight leads to a relevant defatting of the liver.

With seven to ten percent weight loss, infections in the liver or incipient scarring of the liver tissue can also be reversed. These are encouraging facts that have been sufficiently tested and researched.

Several factors are crucial for weight loss. This starts with a significant reduction in calorie intake and continues with healthy and regular exercise. A period of at least eight weeks, but usually considerably more, is to be set. The closest possible consultation and care by specialists is highly advisable, as other risk factors must also be observed and ruled out. This applies especially to cardiovascular risks.

Toxic foods such as alcohol, drinks with a high fructose content and nicotine should be avoided at all costs.

You can watch the entire lecture by Dr. med. Michaela Neagu with a lot of additional interesting information and further questions and answers here in the video lecture.

A PowerPoint presentation on the topic illustrates and complements the lecture.