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I remember when I was younger, some of my friends were trying a popular diet based on liquid meal replacement diets. I had one delicious and nutritious milkshake for breakfast, one for lunch, and by tea time I was so hungry I was about to bite my own arm off.
Well, those plans may be revived. a recent research They investigated the effects of the NHS soup and shake diet on weight loss and its ability to reverse type 2 diabetes. Regarding diseases that affect 4.3 million people In the UK, it could be some really exciting news that type 2 diabetes could be reversed through diet alone.
So what does the research tell us?
diabetes A condition in which blood sugar (sugar) levels rise higher than normal. Excess sugar is excreted with urine, and water is also excreted with it. Symptoms include: Feeling of fatigue, increased urination, and thirst.
There are different types of diabetes, each with different causes and treatments. However, of all patients diagnosed with diabetes, 90% or more This condition is caused by problems with insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas.
In type 1 diabetes, insulin levels drop as the body attacks the pancreas. However, in type 2 diabetes The cause is either Decreased insulin levels or decreased sensitivity to its effects. This is often the result of obesity and increased body fat percentage and is associated with symptoms such as: high blood pressure, family history diabetes and specific ethnicity – We have people of Black African, Afro-Caribbean and South Asian backgrounds. greater risk Type 2 diabetes develops from a young age.
Diabetes may be a common disease, but it is by no means an easy disease. If blood sugar levels are not treated properly, they can cause elevated blood sugar levels. vascular damageaffecting various organs such as the eyes, kidneys, and heart. It can also cause serious complications such as kidney failure and blindness.
In addition to recognizing the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, blood tests can also be used to diagnose it. This is called glycated hemoglobin, often abbreviated as: HbA1c – A value of 48 (or 6.5%) or higher indicates diabetes.
Fortunately, there are many things you can do manage and treat Recently, diabetes, including insulin therapy, has been increasing. Type 1 diabetes always requires insulin treatment, which is injected under the skin. Type 2 diabetes can be managed in other ways. There are many different oral and injectable medications available to increase the body's insulin production and sensitivity to insulin.
However, as a first step, it makes sense to try lifestyle modifications, especially weight loss. Losing weight increases insulin sensitivity, and in some cases, a patient's HbA1c level can return to below 48, the value used to diagnose diabetes. In fact, they can: overturn the diagnosis.
But which diet is most effective? some very low calorie meals 5:2 and first 800 Plans involving calorie restriction and periods of fasting are promoted for rapid weight loss.
Part of the difficulty in maintaining such extreme calorie restriction may lie in food selection and portion control. There are challenges in eating enough of the right foods to get enough nutrients and stay satiated enough to not deviate from your diet.
The soup and shake diet is one example. total replacement diettypical foods are replaced with easily consumed semi-liquids designed to limit energy (calories) while containing the right balance of nutrients.
Complete meal replacement plans remove the element of patient choice, making the diet easier to implement and more likely for patients to stick with it.
The NHS Soup and Shake Diet is a calorie-restricted diet of low-calorie, nutritionally complete complete meal replacement products (as the name suggests, consisting of soups, shakes, and bars) before reintroducing other foods. (800-900 kcal). 12 months of coach support to bridge the transition to a healthy maintenance diet.
Research into the effectiveness of diet for managing diabetes initially began with promising results. randomized controlled trial. The diet method at that time was expanded to large-scale clinical trials run through the NHS.
The results confirmed that a complete replacement diet plan can cause weight loss and lower HbA1c. In some patients, this was enough to induce remission of diabetes. That's really great news.
However, this is just one piece of a more complex jigsaw puzzle. Not everyone who follows this plan will reverse their diabetes. For example, a soup and shake diet limits not only calories but also the patient's food choices, but it is still possible to stick to a liquid-only plan. difficult for some people.
psychological food problemsThings such as emotional eating are not always completely addressed by this program, so even for those who have successfully followed the plan, once the 12 months are over, patients may return to their normal eating habits. gain weight back And diabetes may return.
Extreme dietary restrictions inappropriate For some patients. For example, if you use insulin, calorie restriction can cause hypoglycemia, where blood sugar levels drop too low. Other inappropriate patient groups include pregnant or breastfeeding women, children and teenagers, and patients with symptoms such as: eating disorder. Patients with chronic conditions that compromise their immune system or bone health should seek medical advice before starting a diet.
Therefore, although the results of this study are promising for some patients, more work needs to be done to ensure that post-planned weight loss is maintained.