Weight loss with total diet replacement – a deep dive into the latest research

Posted On: 11th November 2024

Last month, TDMR Europe published its Manifesto for the EU’s political term 2024 – 2029. The Manifesto called for a unified EU approach to combat obesity, emphasising the role of total diet and meal replacement products (TDRs and MPRs) as cost-effective, evidence-based solutions for weight loss and maintenance.

Our initiative also emphasised that public health services have started to acknowledge the role of TDRs and MRPs in managing obesity and improving related diseases. For example, the English National Health Service (NHS) introduced a low-calorie diet programme with TDR, to help thousands of people who have obesity and who are living with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) lose weight and achieve T2DM remission.

This year’s UK Obesity Congress featured presentations that demonstrated the effectiveness of the NHS TDR programme and discussed new studies on the product. Researchers from the University of Oxford showed that the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Pathway to Remission programme can be safely implemented without additional screening, as “there was no evidence that TDR increases disordered eating and its impairment compared to usual care in the short term, and in fact, showed significant improvement”.

The UK Obesity Congress also featured a presentation on the Re:Mission study, a three-year research which evaluated the qualitative aspects of the NHS TDR programme. The presentation showed that, at 12 weeks, experiences were largely positive with TDR having provided control with eating behaviours which contributed to weight loss and improved glycaemic control. Also, at 12 months, many participants reported improvements in psychosocial and physical functioning, and continued use of MRP and TDR products as a weight maintenance mechanism was evident.

At the event researchers also shared promising results for the the use of low-energy diet with TDR in adults with obesity and compensated cirrhosis due to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (CC-MASLD). This was an important study as it is estimated that there are 150,000 people living with CC-MASLD in the UK. Currently there are no licensed treatments, and this trial addressed questions about the use of TDR  in this population. The trial presented at the UK Obesity Congress, showed that participants in the dietary energy restriction group saw reductions in weight, liver fibro-inflammation, and steatosis, and no serious adverse events or changes in physical performance. As a recent publication on the UK Obesity Congress explains, “the preliminary findings of this trial suggest that dietary energy restriction may be safe and help to delay disease progression in this population”.

The oral sessions at the conference also included presentations on “Using Total Diet Replacement, from bench to bedside”. Researchers from the University of Glasgow presented results from the ReDIRECT study, which assessed whether home-delivered weight management with TDR could improve long COVID symptoms in people living with excess weight. In this trial, mean weight change in the intervention group was -10.3 kg at 6 months, compared to -0.7 kg in the control group. Symptoms changed in the intervention group participants with reduced included fatigue, breathlessness, anxiety and depression. The intervention also improved blood pressure and health-related quality of life, with no excess of adverse events.

As obesity rates continue to soar across Europe and policymakers are looking at addressing this challenge, raising awareness of the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of formula diet foods in tackling the condition and improving comorbidities is key to ensure that the products will be part of the solution.

TDMR Europe works to help stakeholders develop a better understanding of slimming foods and aims to increase awareness of the research on the products. Businesses and organisations in the sector interested in finding out more can reach out to TDMR Europe at secretariat@tdmr-europe.com. More information on TDMR Europe can be found here.

Here you can watch our educational webinars.

Here you can find a list of references to studies on TDRs and MPRs.

Aris Myriskos

TDMR Europe Secretariat

Press and Media Relations office