Thousands with type 2 diabetes to be put on radical new 800-calorie liquid diet which could reverse condition
THOUSANDS of people with type 2 diabetes are to be put on a radical new 800-calorie liquid diet which could reverse the condition.
Docs will place 5,000 obese patients with the disease on the restricted daily soup and shakes programme from April.
The NHS currently issues guidance on how to eat healthier and exercise however this is the first diet of its kind to be tested on the service.
Experts at Newcastle University's Institute of Translational and Clinical Research trialled the calorie restrictive diet on type 2 diabetes patients for 12 months.
They found that nine out of 10 of those who stuck to it had put the condition into remission.
If successful, the diet could be the answer to treating the condition, which costs the NHS £14 billion every year, the reported.
Remission
Professor Roy Taylor, who led the study, told the newspaper: “This means we can now see type 2 as a simple condition where the individual has accumulated more fat than they can cope with.
“Importantly, this means through diet and persistence patients are able to lose the fat and potentially reverse their diabetes.
“The sooner this is done after diagnosis the more likely it is remission can be achieved.”
Through diet and persistence patients are able to lose the fat and potentially reverse their diabetes
Prof Roy Taylor
He said that tests showed that a quarter of those on the 800-calorie diet for 12 months lost at least 33lbs.
Almost four million people are living with diabetes in the UK - with that number set to skyrocket to 5.5 billion by 2030.
Evidence shows that type 2 diabetes is caused by excess fat from the liver entering the pancreas.
Prof Taylor explained that when fat can no longer be stored safely under the skin, it gathers inside the liver - which then spills into the rest of the body.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of the disease – accounting for between 85 and 95 per cent of all cases, according to Diabetes UK.
It develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body are unable to produce enough insulin.
It can also be triggered when the insulin that is produced doesn’t work properly.
Typically, people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from the age of 40, but there are some exceptions.
In people from southern Asia the disease can appear as early as 25.
And the condition is becoming more prevalent in children, teenagers of all ethnicities.
Experts suggest the rising rates of type 2 diabetes is due to the obesity epidemic – a key cause of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes can be treated with drugs, and many people can reverse their condition by adopting a healthy lifestyle – a healthy diet and exercise.
This can clog the pancreas and switch off the genes which direct how insulin is effectively produced.
The risk of developing the condition is increased by being overweight or obese.
However Prof Taylor, along with Professor Mike Lean of Glasgow University, found that those with type 2 diabetes were able to put the disease into remission through weight loss.
MORE ON DIABETES
Warning signs can include going to the toilet more often, feeling thirsty or more tired than usual.
By the time it's diagnosed, one in three people already have complications with their eyes, feet, kidneys or nerves and some may need amputation.
The condition can lead to blindness, heart disease and kidney failure.
Those most at risk of type 2 diabetes
The NHS has revealed that you're more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you:
- are over 40 (or 25 for south Asian people)
- have a close relative with diabetes (such as a parent, brother or sister)
- are overweight or obese
- are of south Asian, Chinese, African Caribbean or black African origin (even if you were born in the UK)