NHS to Offer 800-Calorie-a-Day ‘Soup and Shake’ Diet to Combat Type 2 Diabetes
The NHS is set to launch a groundbreaking “soup and shake” diet plan aimed at helping 10,000 people a year combat type 2 diabetes.
The new national initiative involves participants consuming an 800-calorie-a-day regimen of low-calorie meal replacements such as soups, shakes and snack bars for three months. This approach has been shown to lead to rapid weight loss and even diabetes remission in about half of the cases.
At the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, it was revealed that patients following this program lost an average of 10kg over one year and saw significant improvements in blood sugar levels. The research, conducted by the University of Leeds, included 838 people who took part in pilot schemes.
With the aim of reaching 50,000 people over five years, the NHS is now rolling out the program nationwide, with GP referrals. NHS England’s chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Developing type 2 diabetes can have a devastating impact for so many people and their families, and this NHS programme can be truly life-changing in helping reverse the effects of the condition, reducing their risks of significant health complications and supporting them to stay well for the long-term.
“I’m delighted that thousands of people have already accessed this support on the NHS to improve their health and that many thousands more are now set to benefit this year as we roll it out to every area of England.”
The NHS is offering a more wallet-friendly weight management solution with its soup and shakes plan, which rings in at approximately £1,100 per person. This is a bargain compared to the hefty price tag of new slimming medications like Ozempic, which can cost around £200 monthly and need to be taken indefinitely to keep the pounds off.
Since its 2020 debut, the scheme has seen thousands of NHS patients take part in trial runs, despite being previously accessible in less than half of the UK. On average, participants have shed an impressive 13kg within the first three months. Following this initial phase, individuals receive guidance on gradually reintroducing regular food to sustain their newfound lighter frames.
This initiative is just one piece of a larger puzzle aimed at tackling obesity and type 2 diabetes, which also includes plans to offer thousands of patients access to innovative weight-loss injections such as Ozempic and Wegovy at NHS facilities. In a recent announcement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak committed to making these groundbreaking injections available on the NHS. This follows a pivotal study presented at the European Congress on Obesity, which highlighted the injections’ potential to transform care for millions suffering from heart disease by slashing the risk of heart attacks and strokes by a fifth.
The prime minister’s spokesperson welcomed the findings, stating: “This new study is welcome because we know the potential for obesity medicines to help more people both lose weight but as this study suggests also cut wider health conditions. That’s why we are committed to the safe introduction of new approved weight loss drugs into the NHS, as well as improving access to existing drugs for those who meet the eligibility criteria.”
Ozempic has been approved for use on the NHS for patients with type 2 diabetes while Wegovy, which contains the same key ingredient, semaglutide, is available for patients who are obese and have at least one related condition, such as heart disease.