A “soups and shakes” diet trialled by the NHS can help diabetes patients go into remission, a new study has suggested.
Research conducted by the NHS has found a soup and shake diet alongside clinical monitoring can help people with type 2 diabetes.
Almost a third of participants, for whom there was data, put their type 2 diabetes in remission , according to a new paper published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology .
The study found that people who embark on the diet and lifestyle programme can shed a significant amount of weight.
The news comes amid worsening shortages of drugs, such as semaglutide – the drug marketed as Ozempic – which can be used by people with type 2 diabetes. Shortages have been driven by an increase in demand for the drugs after they were approved for weight-loss use.
Eating disorder charity Beat has urged doctors to act with caution over the prescription of diet plans after a survey it carried out in 2021 found people with binge eating disorders had been wrongly prescribed diet plans by the NHS.
Beat’s director of external affairs, Tom Quinn: “Very low-calorie diets should only be used under close medical supervision and after thorough health checks. People with eating disorders, or those struggling with disordered patterns of eating, should not attempt to follow them as it is likely to make them even more unwell.”
“We know that up to a quarter of those struggling with binge eating, which may lead to complications such as type 2 diabetes, have been wrongly prescribed diet plans instead of being referred to the eating disorder support they need. We’d therefore urge healthcare professionals to prescribe these diets cautiously, taking into account patients’ mental health as well as physical.”
The year-long NHS programme helps people kick-start their weight loss journey with a low-calorie “meal replacement” diet of soups, shakes and bars for the first 12 weeks.
People are then encouraged to reintroduce healthy food and are supported to maintain their weight loss.
NHS England said that the paper shows that its “type 2 diabetes path to remission programme” could benefit “thousands” of people with the condition.
It was announced earlier this year that the initiative will be rolled out across the whole of England this year, doubling the capacity of the programme.
The new study examined data on 7,540 people who took part in the programme between September 2020 and the end of 2022.
Of these, some 945 completed a full year of the programme and had provided blood samples.
Among this group, 32 per cent saw their condition go into remission – which was defined by average blood glucose (sugar) levels over a period of time, with an average weight loss of 15.9kg – with some seeing weight loss of up to 17.4kg.
Dr Clare Hambling, NHS England’s national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, said: “The NHS type 2 diabetes path to remission programme can have a huge impact on the lives of participants, and it’s brilliant that these findings show a large number of those who completed it have seen life-changing benefits including major weight loss and type 2 diabetes remission.
These latest findings add to the real-world evidence that the NHS England type 2 diabetes path to remission programme can help thousands of people living with type 2 diabetes on their weight loss and remission journey
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Diabetes UK
“We know obesity is one of the biggest threats to health in the UK and will be one of the biggest and most costly challenges for health systems globally, so seeing such encouraging outcomes from our programme shows that obesity can be tackled head-on, and we’re looking forward to scoping any further expansion to this programme in due course.”
Commenting on the study, Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK , said: “Diabetes UK is proud to have funded over a decade of research that has forged new frontiers for people with type 2 diabetes and put remission on the map.
“These latest findings add to the real-world evidence that the NHS England type 2 diabetes path to remission programme can help thousands of people living with type 2 diabetes on their weight loss and remission journey, which we know is tough and having support is critical.
“We hope to see even more people benefiting in years to come and an increase in referrals to the programme especially for people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and in younger people where the impact of type 2 diabetes and remission from it is greatest.”
Over 25,000 people have already embarked on the programme since it was first launched in 2020 and officials in England are ploughing £13m into the programme this year to ensure that more people can benefit.
Adults aged 18-65 can enrol on the programme if they have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the last six years and if they have a body mass index score of over 27 if they are white or over 25 if they are from Black, Asian or from other minority ethnic groups.
This story was updated with a response from charity Beat at 12:28.
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