NHS soups and shakes diet ‘reverses type 2 diabetes'

A "soups and shakes" diet trialled by the NHS can help diabetes patients go into remission, a new study has suggested. Research conducted by the NHS has found a soup and shake diet alongside clinical monitoring can help people with type 2 diabetes.

- REBECCA THOMAS, ELLA PICKOVER

Almost a third of participants, for whom there was data, put their type 2 diabetes in remission, according to a new paper published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinolo . The study found that people who embark on the diet and lifestyle programme can shed a significant amount of weight.

The news comes amid worsening shortages of drugs, such as semaglutide – the drug marketed as Ozempic – which can be used by people with type 2 diabetes. Shortages have been driven by an increase in demand for the drugs after they were approved for weight-loss use.

Eating disorder charity Beat has urged doctors to act with caution over the prescription of diet plans after a survey it carried out in 2021 found people with binge eating disorders had been wrongly prescribed diet plans by the NHS.

Beat’s director of external affairs, Tom Quinn: “Very low-calorie diets should only be used under close medical supervision and after thorough health checks. People with eating disorders, or those struggling with disordered patterns of eating, should not attempt to follow them as it is likely to make them even more unwell.”