There's no cure for type 2 diabetes, which impacts more than half a billion patients worldwide. But with healthy lifestyle changes, it's possible for many if not most patients to put the disease in remission.
A diet rich in soups and shakes could be one way to go.
Preliminary findings from a year-long diabetes program, run by England's National Health Service (NHS), have shown that a total overhaul of a person's daily diet can put 32 percent of patients into remission.
Even without medication, their blood glucose levels remained stable over time. Participants who achieved remission lost an average of 15.9 kilograms (35 pounds) of weight over the course of the 12-month program.
The NHS program is based on recent randomized controlled trials, which found a low-energy, yet nutritious diet in the form of soups and shakes can lead to significant weight loss in a quarter of patients. Among that group, long-term remission of diabetes reached 86 percent.
The NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Program shows this is now possible outside of a controlled, clinical setting, albeit to a lesser extent.
The fully funded program currently accepts 10,000 eligible participants a year, but it could soon be expanded even further.
Initial findings come from the data of just 1,740 participants, enrolled between 2020 and 2022.
During the first three months of the trial, patients agreed to have all their normal meals replaced with soups and shakes, amounting to 800 or 900 calories a day. They were then coached to slowly reintroduce foods over the rest of the year.
Remission was defined as blood glucose tests showing levels below a specific number on two occasions at least three months apart, with the second test done 11-15 months after the program started. Participants also had to have no glucose-lowering medications prescribed for at least three months before their first test.
Among the 710 participants who met the requirements, 27 percent showed remission of type 2 diabetes at the end of the year. However, only 145 participants were considered to have officially completed the program by having their weight recorded at the end. Of these, 32 percent achieved remission.
"These latest findings add to the real-world evidence that the [program] 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," says Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK.
In a recent landmark trial from Diabetes UK, called DiRECT21, researchers found that for some people, weight loss can put type 2 diabetes into remission for up to five years.
James Thompson, a 33-year-old from Birmingham, joined the NHS program in 2021, and his story is a testament to the lasting effects of a total diet overhaul.
"I found the first few months the most challenging as I had to get used to this new way of eating," Thompson reported to the NHS in May.
"Once I got into a routine and losing weight, my mood improved. When it was time to reintroduce regular food back into my diet, I was eating more vegetables, salads and other high-fiber foods. I started to feel more energetic and bought a bike to cycle to and from work. I was managing to do more steps every day, completing approximately 30,000 steps when I could."
Thompson has lost 54 percent of his body weight and his diabetes is in remission. He no longer needs to take medicine to lower his blood sugar, and he says he feels happier and more confident than ever.
"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," Clare Hambling, NHS England's national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, told The Guardian.
"So seeing such encouraging outcomes from our program shows that obesity can be tackled head-on… "
The study was published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.