Month: March 2022

Tuesday 12^th April 2022 14:00-15:30 BST; 15:00-16:30 CEST; 16:00-17:30 EEST

European countries face levels of obesity and diabetes that will overwhelm capacity for healthcare provision. Weight loss has been recognised as the key component for diabetes prevention and key to effective diabetes remission.  A recent review (ref1) concluded that the best way to achieve the initial weight loss was with total diet replacement but much needs to be learned about effective weight loss maintenance.  Dietary glycaemic index has been an important part of dietary management of diabetes for some time and recent evidence from the EU funded PREVIEW trial (ref2) indicates low GI/low GL diet facilitated maintenance of weight loss and lower blood glucose. Clinical and public health guidelines are in the process of being reviewed.  All European countries require effective programmes for diabetes prevention, diabetes remission and obesity prevention and reduction.

The aim of the seminar is to review evidence for the requirements for weight maintenance after weight loss with Total Diet Replacement (TDR).

The evidence for achieving diabetes remission with diet and lifestyle will be reviewed and the timetable for forthcoming new guidelines will be indicated. Barriers to successful weight loss maintenance and remission will be described as well as potential solutions.  The evidence for use of low GI/low GL (low glycaemic index and low glycaemic load) diets in improving weight maintenance in the PREVIEW trial will be summarised and the potential benefits of low GI/low GL diets in diabetes management, particularly in Southern Europe will be discussed.

Speakers in the seminar will be:

• Professor Mike Lean, University of Glasgow, Scotland and Principal Investigator of the DiRECT diabetes remission clinical trial;
• Professor Gary Frost, Imperial College London, inventor with colleagues of inulin-propionate and lead investigator of studies on dietary factors in weight management;
• Professor Elena Philippou, University of Nicosia, Cyprus and authority on diet in Southern Europe and on glycaemic index in dietary management.

The seminar will be chaired by Dr Anthony Leeds, Frederiksberg Hospital Copenhagen and University of Glasgow and chair of TDMR Europe who said ‘I’m delighted that we’re now able to offer our fourth web seminar on issues relating to use of total diet replacement in achieving enough weight loss to secure diabetes remission.  Weight maintenance remains a challenge, but solutions will be presented and discussed.’

Participation is free, but registration is essential.

Please make sure you register for the webinar here

Ref 1: Churuangsuk C et al. Diets for weight management in adults with type 2 diabetes: an umbrella review of published meta-analyses and systematic review of trials of diets for diabetes remission. Diabetologia 2022; 65: 14–36 doi: 10.1007/s00125-021-05577-2.

Ref 2: Zhu, R.et al. Dose-dependent associations of dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, and fiber with 3-year weight loss maintenance and glycemic status in a high-risk population: A secondary analysis of the diabetes prevention study preview. Diabetes Care 2021; 44(7): 1672–1681  doi.org/10.2337/dc20-3092

Information about previous seminars can be found at:

Reducing future risk: Obesity co-morbidities and nutritional status’  The index page is at: https://tdmr-europe.com/2020/08/04/tdmr-europe-reducing-future-risk-obesity-co-morbidities-and-nutritional-status-index-page/

‘Proven facts versus popular myth about weight loss with TDR’, held on 14^th April 2021.  See: https://tdmr-europe.com/2021/04/22/tdmr-europe-holds-successful-interactive-event-and-highlights-tdrs-impact-on-obesity/

‘Total Diet Replacement: exploring sustainable weight loss and health benefits, including diabetes remission and prevention’ was held on 27^th October 2021 and brought together the three key speakers for three landmark trials: DiRECT (diabetes remission – Prof Mike Lean, University of Glasgow); PREVIEW (weight loss in a primary care setting – Dr Nerys Astbury, University of Oxford); and PREVIEW (diabetes prevention – Prof Jennie Brand Miller, University of Sydney). See the index page at: https://tdmr-europe.com/2021/12/13/tdmr-europe-total-diet-replacement-exploring-sustainable-weight-loss-and-health-benefits-including-diabetes-remission-and-prevention-index-page/

TDMR Europe welcomes World Obesity Day (WOD) which returns this year with the theme “Everybody Needs to Act”. Taking place annually on 4^th March, WOD is a unified day of action that calls for a cohesive, cross-sector response to the obesity crisis. Today a variety of organisations and decision-makers across Europe used the occasion of WOD to talk about their increased efforts to tackle obesity.

The MEP Interest Group on Obesity and Health System Resilience hosted an online event focusing on national action plans for obesity in EU. Since its launch in April 2021, the Group has been investigating the situation of obesity across five EU Member States. In the event “From Words to Action: Addressing Obesity Together”, the Chair of the Group MEP Weiss and the Vice Chairs MEP Cerdas and MEP Solis-Pérez took stock of the past year and discussed how to move forward to support EU Member States in evidence-based policy interventions that can enable them to better address the obesity challenge.

Also ahead of WOD, WHO/Europe launched the “Obesity in Europe” report looking at how to improve awareness and understanding of the causes of obesity and the actions needed to address them. The organisation is focusing on changing the obesity policy in Europe, building the right support systems and prioritising obesity as a health issue.

While obesity has been on the political agenda of Europe for many years now, obesity rates are not only rising but have tripled in many European countries.  Public policy has stepped up efforts to tackle obesity, but current strategies mostly focus on promoting healthy eating and exercise. Although regular exercise and a healthy diet are good advice to prevent overweight and obesity, consideration towards those who are already obese is needed if we are to adequately and substantially reverse obesity rates.

TDMR Europe has recently published a position paper on obesity, stressing that preventive measures alone won’t help reverse the obesity pandemic. Policy makers and governments across Europe need to consider support measures for those who are already obese, and they must look into all available options, including formula foods. TDMR Europe’s obesity position paper explains that total diet replacements (TDR) and meal replacements  (MRP) have scientifically proven to be a safe and cost effective measure to tackle obesity and related comorbidities.

The preliminary results of the soups and shakes diet programme that was launched by NHS England in 2020 to provide a low-calorie diet treatment with TDR for people who are overweight and living with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) show participants each lose 7.2kg on average after one month, and 13.4kg after three months. New data released earlier this year by the NHS show that people on the programme who are eating and drinking the low-calorie alternatives not only lose weight but keep it off over time. Moreover, the NHS low calorie diet programme enabled the participants to better control their blood sugar levels – reducing the need for diabetes-related medication and potentially achieving remission of their T2DM when their levels return to a healthy range.

In its position paper on obesity TDMR Europe urges EU policy makers to:

– Support a more ambitious role for the EU in public health matters and continue to recognise the complexity of obesity, while ensuring a clear focus on treatment as well as prevention.

– Explore all options available, including the use of TDRs and MRPs, while understanding healthcare costs and potential savings from using formula foods.

– Make more funds available for research into obesity treatment and management, while creating more opportunities for industry to share their best practices.

More information on TDRs and MRPs is available here and here.

TDMR Europe organises impactful educational seminars on TDRs and MRPs. Our events bring together industry stakeholders, academics, policymakers and others to review and raise awareness of the increasing evidence base within the scientific literature regarding the efficacy and potential of TDRs and MRPs to change the face of obesity and related diseases in Europe.

Find out more about TDMR Europe in our media pack and membership leaflet.