NHS introduce 800 calorie liquid diet to tackle the growing type 2 diabetes crisis

A record two million people are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the NHS has warned.

The disease can lead to a number of other serious health conditions, increasing the chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

A “growing obesity crisis” is to blame for the increased number of people at risk, as their blood sugar becomes too high.

In an effort to tackle the diabetes problem, a radical new liquid diet will be available on the NHS which will help obese people to lose weight and put type 2 diabetes into remission.

The pilot scheme will be rolled out in April and will see 5,000 people restricted to 800 calories per day for three months.

After this, patients will be given nine months of additional support to help them maintain their weight loss.

The NHS’s world-first diabetes prevention programme is also doubling its capacity to prevent people developing the condition.

The programme identifies people at high risk of diabetes and supports them to live healthier lives and stop or delay the onset of illness through courses that last between nine and 12 months.

It has received about half a million referrals, with patients so far losing a combined weight of 43 ambulances.

'Obesity-related illnesses will end up costing hundreds of thousands more lives'

New NHS figures say there are 1,969,610 patients registered with a GP who have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, a condition that puts people at risk of type 2 diabetes.

There were also over a million obesity diagnoses in hospital admissions last year, up from 884,000 the year before, according to the NHS.

The health service warned that the number of people with type 2 diabetes number could increase further if obesity levels continue to rise.

Obesity has been blamed for the rising type 2 diabetes levels (Accrington Observer)

Projections indicate the growing number of diabetes sufferers could lead to 39,000 more people suffering a heart attack in 2035 and more than 50,000 experiencing a stroke. The NHS added that 1 in 6 hospital beds are now occupied by someone with diabetes. NHS chief executive Simon Stevens warned that “bulging waistlines” were leading to the rise in people living with type 2. He added: “Unless many more of us make a change, obesity-related illnesses will end up costing hundreds of thousands more lives and billions of pounds in higher treatment costs.” Professor Jonathan Valabhji, NHS national clinical director for obesity and diabetes, said the “stark figures” also showed that younger people could also be hit with type 2 diabetes, with about 115,000 younger people suffering type 2 or at risk of developing it. Chris Askew, chief executive at Diabetes UK, said: “More than half of all cases of type 2 diabetes − and the devastating complications it can lead to − could be prevented or delayed by supporting people to reduce their risk by losing weight where appropriate, eating healthy food and being more active.”