A new study shows that the soup and shake diet being rolled out in the NHS can improve type 2 diabetes for at least five years.
Nearly a quarter of people whose diabetes was in remission two years after starting a low-calorie diet were still diabetes-free after three years.
Experts say more evidence that lifestyle changes than medication can help overcome the disease, described last week in Britain as a “rapidly escalating crisis”.
They believe losing and maintaining weight is the key to curing a serious condition that has skyrocketed along with obesity rates over the past decade.
The latest findings are a continuation of the original trial that was found to cut diabetes cases in people who followed the one-year program by almost half.
Under this program, participants are fed a low-calorie, nutritious soup and follow a shake diet totaling approximately 800 calories per day for 12 to 20 weeks. I also get support from my nurse and nutritionist to help me resume healthy foods and maintain my weight loss while off my type 2 diabetes and blood pressure medications. Nearly a quarter of those who had diabetes in remission two years after starting a low-calorie diet were still diabetes-free three years later, according to new trial data.
Due to its early success, more than 2,000 people have so far started treatment on the NHS England low calorie diet programme, which is offered in about half of England’s health boards.
Full expansion of the plan is expected to be completed by March next year, and doctors hope it can save tens of thousands of patients from developing the disease each year.
Under this program, participants are fed a low-calorie, nutritious soup and follow a shake diet totaling approximately 800 calories per day for 12 to 20 weeks.
I also get support from my nurse and nutritionist to help me resume healthy foods and maintain my weight loss while off my type 2 diabetes and blood pressure medications.
At the end of the first two-year study, 95 of the 149 people in the weight loss program agreed to participate in an extension study lasting three years.
The new data show that 48 of these were in remission at the start of the extension trial, with 23% of those still in remission after 3 years.
Five years after the initial study began, the rate of remission was more than three times higher than the control group who had just received usual GP care.
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, which funded the study, said the new findings confirm that remission can be maintained for an extended period of time.
“For those who have put type 2 diabetes into remission, it can be life-changing and offers a better chance for a healthier future,” she said.
“For those who are not in remission, losing weight can lead to significant health benefits, such as improving blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of serious diabetes complications such as heart attacks and strokes.”
The findings confirm that remission is closely linked to weight loss, and those who manage to maintain a healthy weight are more likely to remain completely clear.
Those who regained more than 4 pounds (2 kg) over the 3 to 5 years of the study were offered an additional support package available once a year.
This helped me resume normal eating after four more weeks on the low-calorie soup and shake diet.
Compared to controls, those who dieted and provided support had greater improvements in blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and fewer required medication.
The number of serious health problems leading to hospitalization in the diet group was also less than half that in the control group.
The findings come a week after it was revealed that the number of people with diabetes in the UK is believed to have crossed 5 million for the first time.
According to statistics, about 4.3 million people will have diabetes in 2021-2022, and another 850,000 people will have diabetes without realizing it.
Approximately 90% of diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes, which is associated with obesity and is usually diagnosed in middle age rather than type 1 diabetes, a genetic condition usually identified early in life will be
Professor Jonathan Valabzi, Director of Diabetes and Obesity, NHS England, said: And we plan to expand this scheme across the country to give thousands more people the chance to lose weight and improve their health.
“On average, participants lost two or more stones in three months and maintained that weight loss in six months, so rolling out low-calorie diets in the NHS would help more people It may be possible to turn the tide on type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of severe health consequences.
