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NewsNewcastleMagneticResonanceCentreNewcastleUniversity

NewcastleUniversity

NewcastleMagneticResonanceCentre

LowcaloriedietsforType2diabetesassessed
The2.4millionresearchprojectfundedbyDiabetesUKisbeingcarriedoutbyresearchersat
NewcastleUniversityandtheUniversityofGlasgow.Itaimstoanswerthequestionofwhetherlosing
weightonalowcalorieliquiddietandkeepingitoffusingastructured,personalisedsupport
programmeisaviabletreatmentforputtingType2diabetesintoremissioninthelongterm.
ProfessorRoyTaylor(http://www.ncl.ac.uk/icm/people/profile/roy.taylor),theleadresearcheratNewcastle
University,said:Weknowthatchangesincalorieintakecanproducechangesinbodycomposition
that,atleastinsomepeople,canputType2diabetesintoremission.Butthisnewstudyisevaluating
howwellpeopledousingthisapproach.Weareidentifyingthepositiveeffectsandtheproblemsthat
mightbefaced.
Weareexploringunchartedterritoryandalongthewaytherewillbechallenges,detailstounravel,
andotherquestionstoask.ButIbelievethisstudywillleadtoaquantumleapforwardinour
understandingofhowbesttomanageType2diabetes.
Thetrial
Inthetrial(http://www.diabetes.org.uk/DiRECT),GPpracticesacrossScotlandandTynesidearerecruiting
peopleaged2065whoareoverweightandhavebeendiagnosedwithType2diabetesinthelastsix
years.ParticipantsathalfthepracticesarebeingallocatedtoreceivethecurrentbestavailableType
2diabetescare,whilethoseattheremainingpracticesreceivealowcalorieliquiddietofjust800
caloriesaday,forbetween8and20weeks.Thosewhocompletethedietarethengraduallyre
introducedtonormalfoodoverthenexttwotoeightweeksandreceiveexpertsupporttohelpthem
maintaintheirweightlossinthelongterm.
Aswellasmonitoringthelongtermeffectsofthediet,someoftheparticipantshaveMRIscans,
whichshowresearcherswhatishappeninginsidethebodyduringthediet.
ThisisthelargestsingleresearchprojectDiabetesUKhaseverfundedinits79yearhistory.It
followsastudyfrom2011(http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/press.release/item/dietreversestype2diabetes)that
foundthat11peoplewithType2diabeteswhospenteightweeksonalowcalorieliquiddietallsaw
theirinsulinproductionreturntonormalandtheirType2diabetesputintoremission.Thesefindings
backedupanecdotalreportsandresultsfrombariatricsurgerytoraisetheprospectoftransforming
thewayType2diabetesistreated.
Butbecausethe2011studywasdesignedtobetterunderstandthebiologicalprocessesinthebody
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andonlyfolloweditsparticipantsforarelativelyshortperiodoftime,scientistsdonotyetfully
understandthelongtermeffectofthesediets.Thisiswhyalongerandlargerstudyisneededtofind
outwhetherthebenefitsoffollowingsucharestrictivedietoutweighanyadverseeffects.Also,the
2011studywascarriedoutinaresearchsettingandsoitisunclearwhethersuchdietscanbe
transferredtoalargerscaleaspartofroutineGPcare,wherelargenumbersofoverweightpeople
withType2diabetesaremanagedintheUK.
Becauseoftheseunansweredquestions,DiabetesUKdoesnotyetgenerallyrecommendlow
calorieliquiddietstopeoplewithType2diabetes.Butthecharityisconfidentthatthenewstudywill
answerthesequestionsandsogivetheNHSenoughevidencetomakeadecisiononwhetherlow
caloriedietsshouldbeofferedasaroutinetreatmentoption.However,individualswhoarehighly
motivatedtoreversetheirType2diabetestonormalwouldreasonablymakeanindividualdecision
onthebasisoftheinformationprovidedonourMRCentrewebsite
(http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htm).
DrMatthewHobbs,HeadofResearchforDiabetesUK(http://www.diabetes.org.uk/?
gclid=CKL3u9bJiboCFRPItAodd1kAQ),said:Type2diabeteswillalwaysbeaserioushealthcondition
butperhapsitwontalwaysbeseenasaconditionthatpeoplehavetomanagefortherestoftheir
livesandthatworsensinevitablyovertime.The2011studyandevidencefrombariatricsurgeryhas
shownusthatitcanbeputintoremission.Ifwecandothissafely,onabiggerscaleandaspartof
routinecare,thenfollowingalowcalorieliquiddietwouldbearealgamechangerintermsof
reducingpeoplesriskofdevastatinghealthcomplicationssuchasamputationandblindness.
(AdaptedfromDiabetesUK(http://www.diabetes.org.uk/?gclid=CKL3u9bJiboCFRPItAodd1kAQ)press
release)
publishedon:18thDecember2015

NewcastleMagneticResonanceCentre
NewcastleUniversity,CampusforAgeing&Vitality
NewcastleuponTyne,NE45PL
UnitedKingdom.
EmailWebmaster (mailto:sandra.blackwood@ncl.ac.uk)
Lastupdated18December,2015 2016NewcastleUniversity(http://www.ncl.ac.uk/info/legal/copyright.html)

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