Obese ordered onto ‘soup and shakes’ diet to curb diabetes

Slimmers told to use ‘total diet replacement’ products for three months to halt changes to blood sugar

SOME 5,000 overweight adults will be put on a “soup and shakes” diet as part of the war on obesity.

Those suffering from type 2 diabetes will be given access to the weight-loss plan after trials found half of those who went on the strict diet saw their condition go into remission.

Health officials said links between obesity and an increased risk of death or complications from Covid-19 meant “there has never been a more important time to lose weight”.

It came as research by the University of Cambridge found most cases of diabetes could either be prevented or reversed if BMI was kept low enough to prevent blood sugar changes.

Nine in 10 cases of the disease are type 2, which is driven by obesity.

Britain has one of the highest obesity rates in Western Europe, with two in three adults overweight or obese.

As a result, more than 12 million people are at risk of developing diabetes.

As part of the year-long plan, slimmers will be given “total diet replacement products”, such as shakes and soups, for three months. They will also be encouraged to increase their exercise levels, and to embark on a healthy diet, after three months.

People who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the past six years will be considered for the pilots, in 10 parts of the country. Diabetes is estimated to cost the NHS £10billion a year, while almost one in 20 prescriptions written by GPS is for treatment of the disease.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are two of the biggest risk factors in Covid-19 deaths. Those with type 2 diabetes have twice the risk of dying from coronavirus, NHS research shows.

A US study last week also found those who are obese are 113 per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital with coronavirus and 74 per cent more likely to need intensive care treatment.

Prof Jonathan Valabhji, NHS national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, said: “This is the latest example of how the NHS, through our longterm plan, is rapidly adopting the latest evidence-based treatments to help people stay well, maintain a healthy weight and avoid major diseases.”

A study of almost half a million people by Cambridge University, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Digital Congress, suggested that most cases of the condition could be prevented or reversed. The levels vary for individuals, meaning that some people with a healthy weight will develop the condition while others who are overweight do not.

Prof Brian Ference, the lead researcher, said: “When people cross a certain BMI threshold, their chances of diabetes go up and stay at that same high-risk level regardless of how long they are overweight.

“You can prevent most cases of diabetes by keeping BMI below a person’s threshold. We can also probably reverse most cases of diabetes if we lower somebody’s BMI aggressively below their BMI threshold relatively soon after they develop diabetes.”