13 September 2023 , 11:05
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A revolutionary diet promoted by Michael Mosley that reverses type 2 diabetes is being extended by the NHS across the country.
An 800-calorie soup and shake diet not only causes rapid weight loss, but also tackles the most common type of diabetes. The diet plan could keep patients in remission three years later, meaning they no longer needed to take medication - and had an average weight loss of around 8.9kg at the five-year point.
The radical programme, first piloted by the NHS in 2020 as part of its Long Term Plan, is expanding so that it can provide access to patients in every part of the country by March 2024. The breakthrough could bring hope for permanent change to hundreds of thousands of people with type 2 diabetes - and save the NHS money on treatment.
Dieting guru Michael Mosley has backed the plan, which he said was “very effective” and gave people the “right ingredients”. The founder of the 5:2 diet and Very Fast 800 has also warned people about trying ‘liquid only’ regimes, many of which were too low calorie and poor quality.
But of the soup and shake diet he said: “It’s about 800-900 calories, more calories, more protein, all the right ingredients in it and it seems to be very effective. As for weight loss results, it was compared 'to a standard diet [and] the people who were on the rapid weight loss diet, they lost more weight, about 1.5st (10kg), but they also had fewer side effects than the group who went on the standard diet'.”
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He also urged people to speak to a doctor before embarking on a rapid weight loss diet or liquid diet. “The thing I want to say is it doesn’t just have to be a liquid diet; a few years a go with Professor Roy Taylor’s blessing, I created something call the Fast 800, a rapid weight loss diet,” Mosley revealed. “This is based on real food but you can also use meal replacement shakes. We got similar results, 50,000 people have done it, the only side effects we’re aware of is constipation and headaches.”
The study on the NHS diet was led by Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University, who said the new five-year follow-up result showed that “the benefits of weight loss could be permanent and lifelong”. He added: “This result is wildly important. We had shown that weight loss is highly effective but the question had always been — how long will that benefit last? This new finding shows that type 2 diabetes is reversible in the long term. Losing weight removes the drivers of type 2 diabetes and means the body can achieve normal glucose levels. Those factors will be lifelong.”
How the NHS diet works
Eligible participants will be offered low-calorie, total diet replacement products including soups and shakes consisting of 800 to 900 kilocalories a day for 12 weeks. During this time, participants will replace all normal meals with these products.
Alongside this, participants will receive support and monitoring for 12 months including help to re-introduce food after the initial 12-week period. This support will provide participants with the help and advice they need throughout every stage of the programme. Participants will also be closely supported by their local GP practice – for example, if medicines need to be changed.