Exploring Dietary Choices: Remote Weight Management for Type 2 Diabetes

Have you ever wondered how different diets can help people with Type 2 diabetes? A recent study done by Oviva looked into it! We wanted to see which diets were most popular and which worked best for people from different ethnic backgrounds where the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes is high(er).

The study lasted for a year and used the Oviva app alongside Dietitian support and coaching to help people manage their weight and diabetes. We found that almost 40% of people chose a dietary approach called Total Diet Replacement (TDR), where for 12 weeks they consumed only meal replacement products before being supported to gradually reintroduce food. Another 40% picked a Low Carbohydrate (LC) diet, where the focus was on eating fewer carbs for 12 weeks before establishing a healthy diet. And 20% went for the 5:2 diet, where they fasted on 2 days within a week.

After a year, we looked at how much weight people lost and how well they managed their diabetes. People on the TDR diet lost the most weight, about 7.3 kilograms! The LC group lost a bit less, around 4.9 kilograms, and the 5:2 group lost the least, about 2.3 kilograms.

But here’s where it gets really exciting! Even though the TDR group lost the most weight, the LC group and the 5:2 group still saw good improvements in managing their diabetes (with improvements in HbA1c and cholesterol) .

It seems like different diets can help in different ways, even if they don’t all make you lose the same amount of weight. This is important because every individual has different circumstances and health goals

Overall, these findings show that it’s important to let people choose the diet that works best for them. Some diets might be better for losing weight, while others might be better for managing diabetes. Finding out what the individual hopes to achieve is really important and the same approach may not work for everyone.

So, what’s next? Oviva wants to learn more about how to use these diets for those living with more complex conditions. We are following all those on the study for another year to understand how they manage to maintain their new lifestyles. Oviva wants to make sure that people from all backgrounds can get the help they need to stay healthy in a way that is really accessible and sustainable for them. With these discoveries, we can help more people with Type 2 diabetes find the right diet for them, leading to happier and healthier lives!