Project summary
Low‑calorie diets can help some people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and go into remission But this approach doesn’t work equally well for everyone. People from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds are less likely to see the same benefits.
Professor Lousie Goff will explore why by comparing how low-calorie diets affect Black African and Caribbean people and White European people. Understanding these differences could help shape remission care that is more relevant for Black African and Caribbean people, ensuring they receive the support they have too often missed out on.
Background to research
Our DiRECT study showed that losing weight through a low‑calorie diet can put help some people put their type 2 diabetes into remission, meaning blood sugar levels return to a safe, non‑diabetes range. It inspired the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme.
Most research on low‑calorie diets has focused on White European groups. But people may respond differently to weight loss programmes depending on their ethnicity.
For example, there’s evidence that people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds are less likely to go into remission through a low‑calorie diet approach. This may be due to differences in weight loss or biological differences in how type 2 diabetes develops in people of different ethnicities. But there’s a lot we still don’t fully understand. And this is holding back personalised and equitable care.
Research aims
Professor Lousie Goff is exploring why low‑calorie diets may not work as well for people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds compared with white European groups, and why.
The team will recruit 27 people living with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity from each of these ethnic backgrounds and look closely at what’s happening inside the body as they follow low-calorie meal replacement diet over a 12‑week period. They’ll track changes in weight, HbA1c, insulin sensitivity, how well insulin-making cells are working, and use MRI scans to measure fat in the liver and pancreas.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
By uncovering how Black African and Caribbean communities respond to low-calorie diets, this research could help reshape remission care in the NHS so it is more personalised and truly works for everyone.
Ultimately, this would give more people the chance to experience remission and the hope and long-term health benefits that come with it.
