NHS targets Type 2 diabetes with total diet replacements amid COVID-19 concerns

02 Sep 2021 --- The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is rolling out soups and shake weight-loss plans that put Type 2 diabetes in remission. The year-long plans provide eligible patients with total diet replacement products for three months, alongside support to increase their exercise levels.

“There has never been a more important time to lose weight and put their Type 2 diabetes into remission, so it’s good news for thousands of people across the country that practical, supportive measures like this are increasingly available on the NHS,” says Jonathan Valabhji, NHS national clinical director for diabetes and obesity.

Earlier this year, NHS research revealed that people with Type 2 diabetes are two times more likely to die from COVID-19.

Additionally, people with obesity are 113 percent more likely to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and 74 percent more likely to need intensive care treatment.

Diabetes is estimated to cost the NHS £10 billion (US$14 billion) a year, while almost one in 20 prescriptions written by doctors is for diabetes treatment.People living with Type 2 diabetes who have been diagnosed with the condition in the last six years will be considered for the pilots.

Proof in the pudding?
These diet and lifestyle plans have been shown to put Type 2 diabetes into remission for people recently diagnosed with the condition. 

Results from one trial showed almost half of those who went on the diet achieved remission of their Type 2 diabetes after one year.

The products will now be provided to 5,000 more patients in ten areas as the first stage in the NHS program.

To help people maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid complications linked to obesity, patients will be offered plans for reintroducing ordinary, nutritious food. They will also receive ongoing support from clinicians and coaches after that.

Sites across the country will test evidence from the original trials in a “real world” implementation during a 12-month treatment course.

Adding to existing programs
This scheme builds on the NHS Long Term Plan’s success in rolling out new ways of supporting people with diabetes. 

It also joins the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Program, which has had over 600,000 referrals into the scheme. People who are eligible can refer themselves to the program online rather than needing a doctor referral.

“People with Type 2 diabetes who have put their diabetes into remission frequently tell us how it has changed their lives,” says Bridget Turner, director of policy campaigns and improvement at Diabetes UK.

“We are pleased to see that others will now have the same opportunity and hope that it won’t be too long before more remission programs are rolled out across the country,” she concludes. 

In other moves in the diabetes space, One Drop recently received the Conformité Européenne (CE) Mark for its blood glucose prediction analysis engine. Meanwhile, Pendulum Therapeutics raised US$54 million for its glucose control symbiotic. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell