A landmark calorie restriction program for Type 2 diabetes has seen almost a third of patients go into remission.
Participants consumed a low-calorie diet of nutritionally-balanced meal replacement products for 12 weeks, before reintroducing regular solid foods.
Healthcare teams provided support to help patients eat healthily, stay active and continue to lose weight over the next nine months.
After a year, about 32% of patients saw their diabetes go into remission, according to results published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology medical journal. On average, participants lost 35lbs.
The diet is not suitable for everyone and did not result in remission for the majority of patients studied. Scientists still aren’t sure how long remission may last, and how easily patients will keep off weight they’ve lost.
Nonetheless, there are high hopes this kind of scheme could have a major impact on diabetes outcomes and on costs to the country’s public health system, the National Health Service.
Previous research into the diet showed it could send a significant proportion of people with diabetes into remission. This latest study shows it works in a real-world setting.
It’s been offered to around 25,000 patients since it was first launched as a pilot scheme in 2020, and will be offered to another 10,000 this year, according to Diabetes U.K, which helped fund the study.
The charity’s director of research, Elizabeth Robertson, said in a statement that she hoped to see more people referred into the program, which is offered through the NHS.
It was especially important for those “recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and in younger people where the impact of type 2 diabetes and remission from it is greatest.”
‘Huge Health Benefits’
Rates of Type 2 diabetes are rising fast in England. The population is relatively overweight and is ageing quickly — two key risk factors for the condition.
Already a significant area of spend for the public health service, officials are keen to tackle the disease and reduce rates of complications.
In the long run, diabetes can damage the eyes, nerves, kidneys, gums and blood vessels. It significantly raises the risk of stroke and heart disease.
“We don’t know how long the remission will last, or how achieving remission can affect the risk of developing diabetes in the future,” said Nerys Astbury, associate professor of diet and obesity at the University of Oxford. “But we do know that losing weight has huge health benefits in all groups, particularly people living with type 2 diabetes.”
Losing weight helps improves blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol, Asbury told the U.K.’s Science Media Centre, reducing the risk of developing diabetes complications. “The longer people can be at lower body weight, the better their long-term health outcomes.”
What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
Diabetes causes blood sugar levels to rise. There are several different forms, of which Type 2 is the most common.
People with Type 2 diabetes struggle to use a hormone called insulin effectively. Insulin’s job is to move sugar from the blood stream into the body’s other cells, where if can be used as energy. When it’s not working properly, blood sugar levels rise.
In the short term, this causes fatigue and dehydration. Prolonged high blood sugar can lead to ketoacidosis, which can be fatal, within days.
In the long term, elevated blood sugar levels can lead to blindness, amputation, heart disease and other serious complications.
Type 2 diabetes may be treated with a combination of diet, medication or insulin, depending on an individual’s needs.
People whose diabetes has gone into remission see their blood sugar levels return to normal without the need for medication. But this doesn’t mean it will be gone for good.
Officials are rolling out the ‘Soups and Shakes’ program across the country this year. Many adults who were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within the last six years and who have a relatively high body mass index will be eligible.
Specific criteria can be found on the NHS website.
