“Speak to a dietician – it can transform your life”
Patients across the NHS Lothian region have taken part in the world’s first trial which has successfully reversed the effects of type 2 diabetes.
The radical new trial involved patients undergoing an intensive diet which was closely supervised by researchers – the research, published earlier this month, was led by Glasgow and Newcastle Universities with NHS Lothian supplying a contingent of patients for the trial.
Sandy Boggon, a 60-year-old chef, from North Berwick who took part in the trial, said he was astonished when he was told his diabetes was in remission. “The trial was really tough but worth it – I’m fitter than I’ve been, I have more energy and I no longer have to take medication to counter the effects of my diabetes; I’m delighted,” he said.
“I’ve been a chef on oil rigs for 30 years and when I was told I had diabetes six years ago I was really worried about how it would affect my job – you get regular medical tests on the rigs to see you’re fit and I was petrified they’d tell me I couldn’t work anymore.
“Fortunately that wasn’t the case, thought it certainly could be for jobs designated as safety sensitive. I still needed to do all I could to tackle it because diabetes can make you feel very lethargic and tired.”
The successful trial comes at a time when the number of cases of type 2 diabetes is soaring. The epidemic is strongly related to the obesity epidemic. Fat accumulated in the abdomen prevents the proper function of the pancreas. It can lead to serious and life-threatening complications, including blindness and foot amputations, heart and kidney disease.
Alison Diamond and Laurie Eyles are Leads for the NHS Lothian Weight Management Service. Alison said that they were delighted with the progress of all their patients who took part in the trial.
“Type 2 diabetes is often seen as a less serious type of diabetes because you don’t need to take daily insulin injections, however it is a serious condition which can have a huge impact on people’s lives,” she added.
“We were delighted to be able to take part in this national trial – we put forward around 25 patients and we have had some real success stories so there is a real opportunity here for the trial to be developed so that it helps more people with this condition.”
Sandy was lucky enough to be put forward for the trial during a routine visit to his GP in North Berwick.
“I was overweight and they known this is a factor in diabetes – the doctor asked me if I wanted to be put forward for the trial and I jumped at the chance,” he added.
“The diet involved having an intensive soup and shake diet for three months – the soup and shakes were supplied by the researchers. After the end of the three months over a few weeks I was gradually introduced to food building up to a daily diet of 1600 calories and started exercising regularly, which I’m still doing.
“I was around 15 stone and I’ve lost around three stone. I feel great .
“Working as a chef has made it easier to control my diet because I’m essentially calorie counting every day to make sure I stick to my calorie limit – I’m used to looking at ingredients and being able to judge measurements.
“I would highly recommend this to anyone who was in my position – even if you’re not able to take part in the trial, go to your GP and ask to speak to a dietician, because it can transform your life.”
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