Diet comprising of soups and shakes may combat obesity

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDSep 27 2018

According to a new study a diet comprising of soups and shakes replacing regular food could help people with obesity to lose weight significantly and sustain it over time.

A study published in the British Medical Journal shows that, obese individuals (Body Mass Index over 30) in United Kingdom who ate just 810 calories per day managed to lose around 11 kg in a year. This form of diet replacement, explain researchers, could be recommended by nutritionists to ease off the pressure on the General Practitioners who are treating obesity-associated ailments.

Image Credit: Lecic / Shutterstock

The study programme funded in part by Cambridge Weight Plan UK, included 278 obese adults in Oxfordshire and divided them into two groups. The first group was part of the GP weight management programme who were given weight loss advice and assistance from a practice nurse. The second group was liver a complete diet replacement therapy plan for 24 weeks. The diet replacement was using special soups, shakes and diet bars along with supplements to reduce daily calorie intake to just 810. Both groups were studied for a 8 week duration and normal food was gradually reintroduced to the replacement group along with diet counselling. After around 12 weeks on the study the participants on the replacement group were encouraged to replace one meal with a replacement product.

Some of the options offered were, chocolate-flavour skimmed milk and soya protein shake mix (145kcal), skimmed milk and multi-wholegrain porridge mix (149kcal), chicken-and-mushroom-flavour skimmed milk and soya protein soup mix (138kcal) and lemon-flavour soya and milk protein bar covered in yoghurt-flavour coating (150kcal).

Results revealed that those on the diet replacement group lost an average of 10.7kg (23lbs) after 12 months. This was 7.2 kg more than those on the other group. Weight loss of over 10 percent of the body weight was seen with replacement programme. The participants on the replacement group also had a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Their blood pressure, cholesterol were measured and these parameters also showed improvements. The authors of the study report that the diet replacement programme when supervised was safe and effective.

Lead researcher Professor Susan Jebb, from the University of Oxford in a statement said, “In the past we have worried that a short period of rapid weight loss may lead to rapid weight regain. But this study shows that nine months after the intensive weight-loss phase, people have lost more than three times as much weight as people following a conventional weight-loss programme.” Dr Nerys Astbury, researcher in diet and obesity at the University of Oxford also said, “This model of care, where patients are referred to a provider in the community for support, offers the potential for rapid roll-out at scale across the NHS and could help reduce the pressure on GPs in treating obesity-related disease.” Prof Paul Aveyard, study author, GP and professor of behavioural medicine at the University of Oxford warned that losing weight and maintaining the achieved weight are hard. He said, “It's boring being on a normal diet and people struggle to stick to it for a year. But these programmes get you when your mental strength is at its highest. You have to concentrate effort into 12 weeks and because they eat so little, they lose a lot of weight quickly.”

A Warning

Experts have warned that people should not try this diet replacement programme on their own without medical supervision. Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, who chairs the Royal College of GPs called for more research in this area to be sure. She said, “...what works for one patient might not work for another.” “Ultimately, the best way to stay fit and healthy is to keep active, eat a healthy and balanced diet, get enough sleep, drink moderately in accordance with guidelines, and not smoke,” she said.