Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his Department's policy to promote soup and shakes diets to help put diabetes into remission; and if he will take steps to increase funding for research into that matter.

NHS England launched the low-calorie diet (LCD) pilot programme in September 2020, following a commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan. It provides LCD treatment for people living with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or obese. The LCD programme requires participants to substitute all meals with specifically formulated total diet replacement products, for example soups and shakes, for 12 weeks alongside engagement with a 12-month behaviour change and weight maintenance support package.

While there are no immediate plans to increase research funding into the matter, NHS England is now testing different service delivery models for up to 5,000 people across 10 integrated care systems to understand how these services can best be delivered at scale by the National Health Service.