What is a Liquid Diet for Diabetics? Does It Work For Diabetes?
Healthful Vitality | 09/14/2021 | By NP Contributor | What is a Liquid Diet for Diabetics?
Diabetes is essentially a lifestyle disorder. High-calorie intake along with low energy consumption causes consistent metabolic stress and obesity. As a result, body cells stop refusing access to glucose supply and develop insulin resistance.
It is proven beyond doubt that reducing calorie intake and body weight may help reverse type 2 diabetes in many instances. Such a restrictive diet is especially beneficial for overweight and obese individuals. However, in practice, restricting calories and losing bodyweight is quite challenging.
Experience shows that the general recommendation of lowering calorie intake or exercise does not work in most cases.
Restrictive diets as a way to lose bodyweight and counter diabetes
Since general recommendations do not seem to work for most people, one of the better strategies is to propose some kind of restrictive diet to those living with diabetes.
Just imagine telling a meat lover to go vegan. It works in many cases as a person is not able to consume as many calories by going vegan.
Similarly, there are other more challenging diet forms like the paleo diet (giving up all cultivated food products) and the keto diet (low carb, low calorie, and yet high-fat diet). Most restrictive diets work because they limit the food options and force individuals to reduce calorie intake in one way or another.
Liquid diet for diabetes
Researchers know that 800 calorie diets, whether solid or liquid, work equally well for weight loss and controlling diabetes.
However, as one can guess, restricting calorie intake on a solid diet is quite challenging, and most people fail to stick to it. But things are pretty different with a liquid diet. Suddenly, a person cannot consume most of the food items. So, on the contrary, with a liquid diet, one may struggle even to get 800 calories a day.
Is there any evidence that a liquid diet for diabetes works?
Yes, there is strong evidence that 800 calories liquid diet works. It is proven by an unbiased, high-quality clinical trial carried out in the UK.
In one of the studies, researchers recruited 306 people living with diabetes through 49 clinics in the UK and Scotland. All these individuals were overweight or very obese, with BMI ranging from 27–45 kg/m2. They lived with diabetes for the last 6 years and were on medications but not on insulin. They were put on a liquid diet for 3-5 months, and another 2-8 weeks were for transitioning back to a solid diet. As a result, on average, they lost a whooping 15 kg or more. Even more, interestingly, such a diet led to the complete remission of diabetes in 46% of the participants.
These results are not just good, but excellent. Thus, a liquid diet is not just good for weight loss or diabetes reversal. It may also improve health considerably in all cases.
Encouraged by the study results, NHS UK has decided to prescribe an 800-calorie liquid diet to more than 5000 people.
To conclude, switching to a liquid diet for 3-5 months may help lose body weight, cause diabetes remission in many. In addition, it can help reduce the risk of diabetes complications almost in all cases.