NHS ‘soup and shake’ diet puts almost a third of type 2 diabetes cases in remission

The scheme is available to people aged 18 to 65 who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and is subject to a referral from a GP. Photograph: parkerphotography/Alamy

Tens of thousands more people in England living with type 2 diabetes could be offered an 800-calorie-a-day “soup and shake” diet after research found almost one in three on the groundbreaking NHS scheme permanently wiped out their disease.

Patients are given low-calorie meal replacement products such as soups, milkshakes and snack bars for three months, triggering rapid weight loss, before getting support to reintroduce normal food into their diet.