A landmark British trial has found that following a calorie-restricted ‘soup and shake’ diet can permanently reverse type 2 diabetes. It’s the first confirmation that the condition – which is on the rise worldwide and affects some 460 million people globally, including 1.2 million Aussies – is reversible. The trial, funded by Diabetes UK, saw 298 patients prescribed an 800-calorie diet for 3 months. Five years later, those that had kept the weight off were symptom-free and no longer required medication to manage their glucose levels. Those who put a significant amount of weight back on after those 5 years saw their diabetes symptoms return – however, they were much less likely to develop serious complications than the control group who did not follow the diet. The NHS – England’s healthcare system – said it would expand the treatment across the country over the next 12 months.