Remission of type 2 diabetes feasible with soup and shake diet intervention

A behavioral intervention designed to support weight loss can yield remission of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Aug 5 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Jonathan Valabhji, M.D., from NHS England in the United Kingdom, and colleagues assessed remission of type 2 diabetes among participants in the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission program, a 12-month behavioral intervention to support weight loss, which included a three-month period of total diet replacement (composed of nutritionally formulated products such as soups, shakes, and bars and a total daily calorie intake of 800 to 900 kcal).

A total of 1,740 participants started total diet replacement before January 2022 and had 12 months to complete the program by the time of data extraction in December 2022; 55% completed the program and had weight recorded at 12 months.

The researchers found that the mean weight loss for the 1,710 participants who started the program before January 2022 and had no missing data was 8.3% or 9.4 kg, and the mean weight loss was 9.3% or 10.3 kg for the 945 participants who completed the program and had no missing data.

Overall, 27% of a subgroup of 710 participants who started the program before January 2022 and had two hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) measurements recorded had remission, with mean weight loss of 13.4% or 14.8 kg. Among 450 participants who completed the program and had two HbA1c measurements recorded, 32% had remission, with mean weight loss of 14.4% or 15.9 kg.

"Remission is possible outside of research settings through at-scale delivery, although the rate of remission is less than those reported in randomized controlled trial settings," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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