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.

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.

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.