Can Total Diet Replacement Support Recovery from Long Covid and Improve Economic Productivity?
Posted On: 5th August 2025
The ongoing obesity crisis continues to affect public health and workforce participation across Europe. On 20th May, TDMR Europe hosted a webinar, Return to work: The role of TDR weight loss in enhancing employability, examining the role of Total Diet Replacement (TDR) in addressing obesity-related challenges, including recovery from long Covid, osteoarthritis management and enhancing employability.
Dr Kelly Johnston, Kings College London and Lighterlife UK: the proven role of TDR in addressing the need for safe and effective weight loss (03:45)
Dr Kelly Johnston opened the webinar by presenting robust evidence that TDR is a safe and effective method for achieving significant weight loss. She emphasised that medically supervised TDR programmes facilitate rapid weight reduction while minimising health risks and improving metabolic markers critical to managing obesity and related complications. Dr Johnston highlighted TDR’s structured approach as a reliable option for individuals who face challenges with conventional weight loss methods, ultimately supporting improved health outcomes and easing long-term demand on healthcare systems.
Professor Mike Lean, University of Glasgow: the ReDiRECT trial and its implications for ‘long Covid’ and ‘return to work’ (15:13)
Following this, Professor Mike Lean shared findings from the ReDIRECT trial, which evaluated the effects of TDR on individuals living with long Covid and obesity. Professor Lean outlined that the study demonstrated that a 12-week structured TDR intervention resulted in substantial weight loss and meaningful improvements in symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness. Participants experienced enhanced capacity to return to work, indicating that effective weight management through TDR may help to reduce the economic impact of long Covid by improving employability and lowering rates of disability-related absence.
Professor Hamish Simpson, Professor of Orthopaedics, Queen Mary University of London: the ‘opportunity’ trial of TDR within a ‘package of care’ for osteoarthritis (32:56)
Concluding the series, Professor Hamish Simpson discussed the Opportunity Trial, which investigated TDR as part of a comprehensive care package for patients with osteoarthritis. The trial showed that weight loss achieved through TDR significantly reduced joint pain and improved mobility – two major factors limiting workforce participation. By alleviating symptoms and enhancing physical function, TDR may play a role in supporting people with osteoarthritis to remain active and thus potentially be more engaged in work, thus helping to address the broader social and economic challenges associated with obesity.
Panel discussion (49:19)
In the panel discussion Dr Leeds asked the questions: what is the level of evidence that obesity comorbidities reduce the ability to work and is there evidence that interventions such as dietary weight loss can facilitate return to work. Briefly reviewing some of the limited evidence available he concluded that there was a marked lack of information for both because health records and many research reports do not record this much needed information. Prof Simpson confirmed that secondary care health records rarely record employment status or changes in it. Prof Lean pointed out that the ReDiRECT trial did record this type of information. Questions sent in by those attending were discussed by the panel including whether symptoms improved in the ReDiRECT trial would likely return if weight were to be regained, whether weight management after knee replacement in younger people should be more aggressive since they are more likely to need revision surgery within 15 years, and whether delivery of weight loss programmes needed to be within a clinical setting or could be delivered remotely using digital programmes. Dr Johnston and Prof Lean emphasised that digitally delivered weight loss programmes were effective, have been used in recent trials and were less expensive than in-person delivery.
Overall, the webinar demonstrated that weight loss with TDR offers a scientifically proven, effective approach to support recovery from long Covid, improve osteoarthritis outcomes, and potentially address the wider economic challenges of obesity. By enabling sustainable weight loss, TDR empowers individuals to regain health and return to work, while simultaneously reducing the strain on healthcare systems across Europe. It is clear that integrating TDR into public health strategies can be a vital step towards building a healthier, more productive workforce and a more resilient economy.
The full webinar can be found here.
More information on the use of TDR for weight loss and diabetes remission and prevention is available here.
A list of studies in which weight loss was achieved with TDR can be found here.
TDMR Europe works to help stakeholders develop a better understanding of formula diet foods and aims to increase awareness of the scientific evidence showing the effectiveness of these products in tackling obesity and improving related comorbidities.
Businesses and organisations in the sector interested in finding out more can reach out to TDMR Europe at secretariat@tdmr-europe.com. Find out more here.
Megan Page-Cowman
TDMR Europe Secretariat