Month: May 2024

TDMR Europe held a one-hour seminar to review the evidence for efficacy of TDR in delivering the initial weight loss needed for diabetes remission and for sustainability and practicality of TDR based-programmes on Wednesday 22^nd May.

Our Chair, Professor Anthony Leeds briefly described the work of TDMR Europe and summarized its recent activity and current projects.

Professor Henning Bliddal, Director of the Parke Institute then summarized the evidence for the benefits of weight loss in osteoarthritis.

Following this Professor Mike Lean from the University of Glasgow reviewed the need for weight loss in managing type 2 diabetes and the evidence from the DiRECT diabetes remission trial.

There then followed a brief discussion about the roll-out of this diabetes remission programme in other countries and the health benefits including benefits for other obesity comorbidities.

On 22^nd May 2024, from 11:00 to 12:00 BST, Professor Henning Bliddal (Parker Institute, Frederiksburg Hospital) and Professor Mike Lean (University of Glasgow) will be joining a webinar hosted by TDMR Europe to demonstrate the effectiveness of total diet replacement (TDR) in tackling obesity and improving comorbidities.

Prof Lean will present the results of the DiRECT trial, the groundbreaking 5-year research which showed that type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remission in people with obesity is possible with a TDR diet, whereas Prof Bliddal will provide an insightful presentation on “Weight loss and medical management of osteoarthritis” discussing the feasibility of delivery of a ‘package of care’ including TDR for osteoarthritis.

As the levels of obesity and related diseases, such as T2DM, continue to increase at an alarming rate in Europe, this webinar aims to help public health professionals and policy makers gain a better understanding of TDR’s role in addressing these critical challenges that threaten to overwhelm the capacity of public health sector.

Entitled “Diabetes remission after weight loss with Total Diet Replacement (TDR): 5-year evidence and feasibility of use in osteoarthritis” the online seminar will be moderated by TDMR Europe’s Chair, Prof Anthony R. Leeds, who will also provide a brief description of the role of the organisation in ensuring that TDR composition legislation is science based.

The full agenda and free registration are available here.

For more information, please get in touch with the Press and Media Relations office of TDMR Europe at aristeidis.myriskos@whitehousecomms.com

The effectiveness of total diet replacement (TDR) in tackling obesity and improving comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes (T2DM), has been well established by a number of trials over the last few years. Last month, we saw the publication of a series of ground-breaking studies showing that weight loss and T2DM remission in people with obesity using TDR can also be achieved outside research settings.

On 18^th April, at the 2024 edition of the Diabetes UK Conference, Professor Jonathan Valabhji, from Imperial College London, presented the remission rates of T2DM at one year for participants in the English National Health Service (NHS) Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme pilots (formerly known as the NHS Low Calorie Diet Programme), from September 2020 to December 2022. Based on the DiRECT and DROPLET trials, these pilots included an initial 12-week TDR phase, followed by support with food re-introduction and weight maintenance for a total programme duration of one year.

Prof Valabhji explained that 27% of 710 people who had finished the programme by December 2022 had achieved diabetes remission. For participants achieving remission, the mean weight loss was 14.8kg. According to Prof Valabhji, those who lost more weight (>15kg) achieved remission in 55% of people. Following the success of the pilots, the Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme is to become available across the whole of England.

Meanwhile, on 17^th April, the British Journal of Diabetes published 6 papers detailing the findings of the Re:Mission study. Led by Professor Louisa Ells of Leeds Beckett University, this three-year research evaluated the qualitative aspects of the NHS TDR programme. The Re:Mission study demonstrated that the programme provided value for money and can work successfully to improve people’s diabetes control and weight loss.

The study showed that the programme has been life-changing for some participants, it was easy to incorporate into their lives and it helped them achieve their goals. According to the research, the aspiration of not requiring diabetes-related medication as well as potential for improvements to current health and fear of future poor health were viewed by participants as key-drivers for starting the programme.

Participants reported rapid improvements in their weight and blood glucose levels during the TDR phase and some reported significant levels of weight loss of up to 20% of starting body weight. Other reported outcome measures included feelings of increased energy, mobility, functional fitness and improved self-esteem.

Moreover, participants reported that using TDR gave them a sense of control over their energy consumption that they struggled to manage within their standard diet and some stated that they might continue using TDR products outside the programme specification for convenience and to sustain weight loss. By the end of the food reintroduction phase, 15 of the 43 participants were either actively using TDR products or expressed an intention to continue doing so.

Diabetes UK, a leading charity, estimates that more than five million people in the UK are living with diabetes, a disease that costs NHS £10 billion a year, which is about 10% of its entire budget. With its Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme, the NHS England has set the example for European public health authorities on how to help individuals with obesity and T2DM improve their health in a primary care setting as well as on how to reduce health-care expenditure related to these health conditions.

On 22^nd May, from 11:00 to 12:00 BST, TDMR Europe will be hosting a webinar on “Diabetes remission after weight loss with Total Diet Replacement (TDR): 5-year evidence and feasibility of use in osteoarthritis” featuring key experts in the field to discuss the latest evidence regarding the efficacy of TDR in delivering the initial weight loss needed for T2DM remission as well as the sustainability and practicality of TDR-based programmes. The seminar will include guest speakers Professor Mike Lean, from Glasgow University, who co-directed the DiRECT trial,  as well as Professor Henning Bliddal from the Parker rheumatology Institute, Copenhagen. You can find out more and register here.

Aris Myriskos

TDMR Europe Secretariat

PR and Media Relations Office