New program to reverse the effects of Type 2 diabetes and beat COVID-19

The Diabetes Reversal Company has developed a pioneering programme based on weight loss, lifestyle change and one-to-one clinical support to reduce and reverse the effects of Type 2 diabetes, helping deliver the goals in the Government’s newly published National Obesity Strategy.

The strategy aspires to help people lose weight to beat coronavirus and protect the NHS, which is particularly important for people with serious underlying health conditions like Type 2 diabetes who are more at risk. Obesity is a public health time bomb in the UK, over one in four (28.1%) of UK adults are obese, which increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 80%. The figures show that patients with diabetes make up a third of COVID related deaths in England, with Type 2 diabetes patients two times more likely at risk of dying in hospital.

The Diabetes Reversal Company has developed the world’s first GP led weight loss programme to improve and reverse the effects of Type 2 Diabetes and is accelerating its roll out through a pilot programme with London GP practices. This comes at a time when the Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the NHS could save £100m over 5 years if everyone lost five pounds.

Company founder Dr Rabbani was inspired by the success of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) to devise a lifestyle programme to help people improve their diabetes care. The three-phase programme of weight loss and lifestyle change has been created in collaboration with specialist NHS doctors, dietitians, and nutritionists, with app-based technology for ongoing monitoring.

Phase one involves fast evidence based weight loss with an 800 calorie a day diet for eight to twelve weeks, using specially formulated total diet replacements in the form of shakes and soups developed by experts at the Diabetes Reversal Company. The second phase reintegrates healthier versions of the patient’s preferred foods back into their diet with the support of a qualified registered nutritionist. The final phase is based on the Diabetes Reversal Company's “Golden 5 Plan” focusing on nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management and environmental change to help patients stay healthier for longer.

This innovative work has already delivered proven results. Based on a study of 56 patients over eight to twelve weeks by a qualified nutritionist, patients experienced an average weight loss of 22.6 pounds (10.3 kg) which is over 10% of initial body weight lost and an average BMI decrease of -3.60.

Medical Director and company founder Dr Farhan Rabbani explains the importance on tackling Type 2 diabetes.

The publication of the Government’s National Obesity Strategy marks an important step forward in tackling the surge of Type 2 diabetes collectively as a nation. The causal link between the risk and severity of COVID-19 and obesity related conditions like Type 2 diabetes means tackling the two go hand in hand. Our programme offers clinically led solutions that can deliver long term lasting change to people’s weight and feeling of well-being. We want to move away from traditional reliance on medication and start implementing more evidence-based lifestyle changes to help reduce and reverse the effects of Type 2 diabetes”.

Dr Farhan Rabbani, Medical Director and company founder