Type 2 diabetes seems to be produced by life-style disrupting the Islets of Langerhans' (above) ability to produce insulin to control blood sugar levels. This condition increases the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke, as well as sometimes resulting in blindness or the amputation of limbs. It has been estimated that the totalled diabetes treatments cost the NHS £10bn per year and that 1 in 20 prescriptions are linked to the condition. Being overweight has long been established as a risk factor for developing this form of diabetes. This probably accounts for the enthusiasm evident in some newspapers (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6742637/NHS-soups-shakes-weight-loss-diet-cost-effective-study-finds.html#:~:text=The%20NHS%20announced%20last%20year%20it%20would%20trial,to%20patients%20who%20desperately%20need%20to%20lose%20weight.) for extending a trial of providing (free, on the NHS) a soup and shakes diet to 5000 more patients. The measure is deemed to be 'cost-effective' as it may 'save the NHS £10000 per person'. Actual savings are really difficult to calculate (and shouldn't be the whole story anyway). I suspect that not everyone will stick to the diet (they will also have to be carefully monitored- a difficulty in the time of the pandemic). One also has to pose the question of what happens after the soup and shakes regime finishes? People will still have to keep the weight off and develop healthier eating and exercise habits (will they be able to afford this?). I am not saying that this is not worth doing. Just don't expect savings of £10,000 per patient! Think more about the potential health benefits to some individuals!
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