Overweight Scots to be put on an NHS 'soup and shake' diet to reverse diabetes crisis
Doctors believe that a calorie-restricted diet could prove as effective as 'fat jabs' such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro – which have revolutionised weight loss treatment in recent years – as well as being a lot cheaper.
In a nationwide rollout of a scheme called Total Diet Replacement, patients who have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and are deemed eligible, will get low calorie substitutes for their usual breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The replacement meals – which contain a maximum of 900 calories a day – will be delivered to patients for between three and five months.
After this initial period, normal food will be reintroduced, but with guidance given on healthy meals through online consultations and an app.
The ambition is for patients to lose up to ten per cent of their body weight in the year-long plan.
This will help to reduce blood pressure and lower their risk of disease. Doctors are also optimistic that up to 40 per cent will achieve remission from type 2 diabetes within the year.
The NHS yesterday described it as a 'new, high impact technology that could improve patient outcomes and contribute to NHS renewal across Scotland'.
Obesity is one of Scotland's most serious and intractable health problems, with around a third of the population officially obese and a further third recognised as overweight.
Around 300,000 people live with type 2 diabetes, a condition commonly linked to obesity, where badly regulated blood sugar levels mean an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke or nerve problems.
The NHS has recently run small-scale trials of Total Diet Replacement, which is also available through private clinics. But from January, around 3,000 patients countrywide will be signed up for the National Digital Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme.
Diet replacement soups, shakes or food bars will be delivered directly to patients' homes.
After several months of meal replacements, an app – which also tracks food and drink intake, weight, blood pressure, blood glucose and exercise – will provide dietary advice and tips on maintaining long term weight loss.
Patients will also get online support from a health coach.
In recent years doctors have targeted obesity and type 2 diabetes with semaglutide – available as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro – a drug which suppresses appetite and can lead to dramatic weight loss.
Stars who have spoken about using the weight loss drugs include Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Elon Musk and Sharon Osbourne.
Recent figures showed the NHS in Scotland is now prescribing a record 10,000 of these so-called 'fat jabs' every month.
However a year's supply of the injections costs around £3,000 per person. There are also fears that the benefits only last as long as the patient is taking the drug.
In contrast, soups and shakes should prove to be cost-effective and long lasting. The scheme is set to cost £5.6 million for 3,000 patients – a one-off cost of around £1,866 per person. The hope is that the year-long scheme will help patients to fundamentally alter their diet and lifestyle and produce long-term health improvements.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: 'The programme will be used to support 3,000 people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes over the next three years, with the first recruited in January 2026.
'We anticipate that around 35 to 40 per cent will achieve remission from type 2 diabetes at the end of their first year on the programme, with a majority of patients benefiting from a clinically significant average weight loss of 10 per cent and reductions in blood pressure, all contributing to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
'We will measure impact by the number of patients recruited into this programme, the number who achieve remission and the number with clinically significant weight loss.'
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