A special ‘soup and shake’ diet has such dramatic effect on weight loss that it can reportedly permanently reverse type 2 diabetes. According to The Times, research into the 800-calorie-a-day diet showed that the improvements weren’t temporary.
The latest result from the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), funded by Diabetes UK, found that patients with type 2 diabetes can go into remission if they follow an intensive weight-loss plan. It also found if people stuck to the 800-calorie-a-day diet for three months, then kept the weight off, were free from symptoms five years later and no longer needed medication.
The break through could bring hope for permanent change to hundreds of thousands of people with Type 2 diabetes - and save the NHS money on treatment. Dieting guru Michael Mosley has spoken about the diet previously.
Read more: Michael Mosley's faster weight loss advice lists three fruits to 'avoid' on diet
The founder of the 5:2 diet and Very Fast 800 has praised the diet - amid warnings of people trying ‘liquid only' regimes, many of which were too low calorie and poor quality. He said: “There are lots of really good ones [liquid diets] out there,” and spoke about a new liquid diet which has been trialled by the Government called the Shake and Soup diet.
“It’s about 800-900 calories, more calories, more protein, all the right ingredients in it and it seems to be very effective. As for weight loss results, it was compared “to a standard diet [and] the people who were on the rapid weight loss diet, they lost more weight, about 1.5st (10kg), but they also had less side effects than the group who went on the standard diet”.
Mosley urged people to speak to a doctor before embarking on a rapid weight loss diet or liquid diet. He also suggested an alternative to liquid diets for anyone looking to lose a considerable amount of weight.
“The thing I want to say it doesn’t just have to be a liquid diet; a few years a go with Professor Roy Taylor’s blessing I created something call the Fast 800, a rapid weight loss diet,” Mosley revealed.
“This is based on real food but you can also use meal replacement shakes. We got similar results, 50,000 people have done it, the only side effects we’re aware of is constipation and headaches.”
The study on the NHS diet was led by Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University, who led the study, said the new five-year follow-up result showed that “the benefits of weight loss could be permanent and lifelong”. He added: “This result is wildly important. We had shown that weight loss is highly effective but the question had always been — how long will that benefit last?
“This new finding shows that type 2 diabetes is reversible in the long term. Losing weight removes the drivers of type 2 diabetes and means the body can achieve normal glucose levels. Those factors will be lifelong.”
The DiREC trial recruited 298 patients with type 2 diabetes through GP surgeries. Initial ground-breaking findings, published in 2017, showed that 46 per cent of those on the diet for three to five months were in remission one year later, with 36 per cent in remission after two years.
The updated results show that 23 per cent of those in remission after two years were still free of symptoms five years later. This group who were in remission had an average weight loss of about 9kg (1st 6lb) at the five-year point.
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, the director of research at Diabetes UK, said: “For those who put type 2 diabetes into remission, it can be life-changing, offering a better chance of a healthier future. For those that aren’t able to go into remission, losing weight can still lead to major health benefits, including improved blood-sugar levels and reduced risk of serious diabetes complications.”
The discovery has huge implications for the NHS. UK cases of diabetes doubled in the past 15 years, and more than five million people are estimated to have the condition, 90 per cent type 2. Ten per cent of the NHS budget is spent on treating diabetes and its complications.
Rolling out low-calorie diets is a vital part of a new strategy, that could save thousands of lives. Patients will be prescribed meal replacement packs of milkshakes and soups for three months, and supported through a year-long programme.
The average patient loses two stone while on the soup and shakes diet. Costing just £1,100 a patient, this is a cheap way to tackle obesity.
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