- Rates of overweight and obesity are increasing around the world
- Physical inactivity and relatively increased energy consumption are the main drivers
- Pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes are two increasingly common consequences
- Losing 5-7% of initial body weight will prevent > 1 in 2 with pre-diabetes from developing type 2
- Losing 10-15% of initial body weight will put > 1 in 2 people with type 2 into remission
- The greater the weight loss, the better the odds
- Very low energy diets are most commonly used in clinical trials followed by stepped food re-introduction
- VLEDs produce 1.2 kg – 3.2 kg weight loss per week and produce significantly more weight loss at 2 years compared to other weight reduction diets