Teams of researchers are working on diabetes cures around the world. We have seen a few promising developments in recent weeks. One group of researchers developed a dual-drug diabetes therapy that can restore insulin production and reverse the illness.
Others implanted stem cells into the pancreas of a person with diabetes and achieved the same result: The restoration of insulin production.
It might take a while until any of these ideas become standard treatments for diabetes if either idea gets to that point.
Until then, there is one life-changing therapy that can cure diabetes at least temporarily. It’s already in use in the UK, where the NHS will provide it to patients free of charge.
You will have to have the willpower to follow through with it, as it involves a massive dietary change. You’ll be eating soups and shakes each day, amounting to only 900 calories between them. It’ll be months before you can resume a regular diet. But if it works, you’ll not only lose significant weight but might temporarily cure your diabetes.
The 900-calorie-a-day strictly liquid diet resulted from a study involving thousands of participants, of which 940 finished the year-long program. The BBC reports that a third of participants lost significant weight (16kg or about 35 pounds), putting their diabetes in remission.
The findings of the study are available in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
As a result, the NHS has fully funded the soups and shakes diet. Patients can have access to it without paying anything. The therapy is different from diabetes treatments that involve drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. These drugs can also help patients lose weight.
The liquid diet should help patients lose at least 10kg (22 pounds), improve blood sugar levels, and reduce diabetes-related medication. If it works, it’ll put the diabetes in remission.
In addition to the liquid diet, the patients will receive diet and exercise advice sessions in person or online and support from their doctors.
To qualify for the diabetes cure breakthrough, you must be between 18 and 65, have received a type 2 diagnosis within the last six years, and have a specific body mass index (BMI).
After that, patients have to stay on the diet for 12 weeks. They should eat only the soups, shakes, and specific meal-replacement bars prescribed to stick to the 900-calorie goal. After that, they’ll be able to gradually reintroduce solid foods.
Some of the people who talked to the BBC about their experience with this potential diabetes cure said the program is a lifestyle change. It impacts not just what you eat but also teaches you about food and how to exercise.
One person said they didn’t feel hungry despite the significantly reduced daily calorie intake. Also, most of the liquid food was enjoyable. The same person pointed out the red Thai soup and shepherd’s pie as their favorites. I assume the latter can only be the meal replacement bar the report mentions.
The big caveat in all of this is that it’s still unclear how long the diabetes remission will last. More research is needed to see whether the people who successfully cured diabetes with the NHS liquid diet still risk developing diabetes in the future.
That said, losing significant weight is certainly a big win here, as it should have big health benefits in addition to diabetes remission.
You’ll find more information about the NHS liquid diet diabetes program at this link. You’ll find more details about the studies backing the NHS program at the same link.
