Tens of thousands of British patients will be eligible to have their type 2 diabetes reversed as the National Health Service (NHS) rolls out “soup and shakes” diets countrywide, in efforts to reduce the UK’s diabetes time bomb.
Currently, the programme is offered in 21 areas of England, but every part of the country will offer the regime by next March, say health officials, adding that in pilot schemes, the programme sheds an average 12.5kg in three months, with clinical trials suggesting this is enough to reverse around half of all diabetes cases.
Recent studies found that diabetes could remain in remission for at least five years after such an intervention, reports The Telegraph.
MedicalBrief reported on the campaign in September 2020, after a successful trial of the low-calorie diet and lifestyle plan has already taken place, and the government announced that the programme was to be expanded to reach 5 000 more patients in 10 areas.
Experts said they are “thrilled” to see the national roll-out of the programme across England, meaning that anyone diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the past six years should be eligible for it.
Under the scheme, patients referred by their GP are given “total diet replacement” products including soups and shakes consisting of 800 to 900 kilocalories a day for 12 weeks, with supervision and support from coaches and clinicians.
After this, they are given a plan to reintroduce healthy nutritious food, backed by group sessions, one-on-one counselling or online support.
Studies have found that in the first two years of the programme, it costs around £600 more than the typical healthcare costs for those with type 2 diabetes.
Professor Jonathan Valabhji, NHS England’s national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, said research is clear “that weight loss, where indicated, goes a long way to helping people stay well and avoiding preventable illness, and in many cases, can be the trigger for putting type 2 diabetes into remission”.
Britain’s diabetes problem has been driven by its obesity epidemic: two in three adults in England are obese or overweight, and nine in 10 cases of type 2 diabetes are fuelled by excess weight.
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