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Background: LAGB has been shown to be an effective treatment of weight loss for the morbidly obese. However, it has been found that diabetics experience lower percentage excess weight loss when compare to non-diabetics after LAGB. This study seeks to analyze the difference in weight loss between diabetics and their counter parts by looking at excess percentage weight loss and change in lean body mass.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed for 91 diabetic patients (BMI = 43.1 ± 0.77 kg/m2) and 510 non-diabetic patients (BMI = 42.5 ± 0.36 kg/m2) that underwent LAGB within a span of three years using an electronic medical record system. Percentage excess weight loss (%EWL) and percentage lean body mass (%LBM) were analyzed for patients from 2007-2010. Bioimpedance was measured via two limb technique using one arm and one leg. Data was analyzed with ANOVA and * P<0.05 is considered significant.Results: Patients that are diabetic lose significantly less %EWL (63.8% ± 2.9%, 60.7 ± 3.6 lbs) on average as compared to non-diabetic patients (70.6% ± 4.9%, 69.8 ± 1.4 lbs), P = 0.037. Further analysis reveals that both pre-operative %LBM and three year post-operative %LBM for diabetic patients (52.4% ± 0.8%, 67.5% ± 0.9%) were significantly lower than the non-diabetic group (57.0% ± 0.3%, 72.9% ± 0.4%), P = 0.005 and P = 0.01 respectively, but both groups increased their %LBM. There were no significant differences between the change in %LBM for diabetic patients (15.1% ± 0.7%) and non-diabetic patients (16.2% ± 0.4%), P = 0.34.Conclusion:Diabetic patients have less lean body mass before surgery and consistently have less lean body mass after weight loss surgery with LAGB as compared to non-diabetics. The less weight loss (%EWL) can be attributed to less lean body mass, but both groups increased their % lean body mass in similar amounts with significant preservation of lean body mass and reversal of disease processes.