Diabetes programme helping hundreds into remission

NHS England has confirmed that hundreds of people with type 2 diabetes are now in remission thanks to a radical programme.

The 12-month ‘Soups and Shakes’ programme supports people to kickstart their weight loss process by giving them diet replacement products that are low-calorie and nutritionally complete. These include soups, shakes and bars. Following taking up these products, programme participants are then encouraged to bring healthy, nutritious food back into their diet to continue their weight loss journey, with progress being monitored.

A major study into the programme found that – of those who completed the programme and were measured twice – one in every three people had put their type 2 diabetes into remission, with average weight loss sitting at almost 16 kilogrammes. This research covers the period between September 2020 and the end of 2022, which saw more than 7,500 people referred to the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission programme.

Dr Clare Hambling, the NHS’ National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity, said:

“The NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme can have a huge impact on the lives of participants, and it’s brilliant that these findings show a large number of those who completed it have seen life-changing benefits including major weight loss and type 2 diabetes remission.

“We know obesity is one of the biggest threats to health in the UK and will be one of the biggest and most costly challenges for health systems globally, so seeing such encouraging outcomes from our programme shows that obesity can be tackled head-on, and we’re looking forward to scoping any further expansion to this programme in due course.”

Support from the programme is available to people who have been referred by their GP and meet a certain criteria, requiring the participant to:

• Be 18-65 years of age
• Have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the last six years
• Have a BMI of more than 27kg/m2 (if from white ethnic groups) or 25kg/m2 (if from Black, Asian or other ethnic groups).

Director of Research at Diabetes UK, Dr Elizabeth Robertson, added:

“Diabetes UK is proud to have funded over a decade of research that has forged new frontiers for people with type 2 diabetes and put remission on the map. These latest findings add to the real-world evidence that the NHS England Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme can help thousands of people living with type 2 diabetes on their weight loss and remission journey, which we know is tough and having support is critical.

“We hope to see even more people benefitting in years to come and an increase in referrals to the programme especially for people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and in younger people where the impact of type 2 diabetes and remission from it is greatest.”

Overall, more than 25,000 people have been offered support through the programme since it was piloted by the NHS in 2020, as part of its Long-Term Plan. Expansion of the programme is also being backed by £13 million of investment from NHS England.

 

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