NHS bosses are too focused on ‘spending pounds’ instead of helping people ‘shift pounds’, a leading GP has argued.
Dr David Unwin said the health service could slash its spending on type 2 diabetes by helping more patients lose weight and reverse the condition.
The low-carb advocate has put more than 60 patients into remission by improving their diet, saving ‘thousands’ on his surgery’s drugs budget.
His approach involves ditching pasta, potatoes and cereals – instead encouraging patients to eat more fish, meat, eggs and green vegetables.
Dr David Unwin said the cost of type 2 diabetes patients’ medicine can be slashed if patients lose weight and reverse the disease by eating a low-carb diet
Figures show there are four million people living with diabetes in the UK, and 90 per cent of those have type 2.
However, experts expect the figure to increase in the coming years amid spiralling levels of obesity.
Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition, but remission – when blood sugar levels go back to normal – is possible.
NHS England spends approximately £10billion every year on treating diabetes in all its forms, around 10 per cent of its budget.
Around 80 per cent of the costs are for complications of diabetes, such as sight loss, heart attacks, stroke and nerve damage.
Dr Unwin, a Southport GP, has put more than 60 people into remission after their type 2 diabetes diagnosis by improving their diet
The NHS states that patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are prescribed drugs, such as metformin, before being offered lifestyle advice.
Dr Unwin, based in Southport, told MailOnline: ‘We all know how stretched NHS funds currently are.
‘The health service should stop spending the pounds and start concentrating on helping people to shift the pounds.’
He urged bosses to embrace the low-carb approach ‘before the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic takes further hold of this country’.
Dr Unwin added: ‘I am so passionate about drug-free diabetes remission and for most of my career I thought it was a chronic, deteriorating condition.
‘However, now we know it is possible to address the actual dietary causes of many peoples’ type 2 diabetes it has given so many people hope, empowering them to make the necessary lifestyle changes.
‘It’s a complete no-brainer and there’s been a plethora of research to support how effective the low-carb approach can be.’
In a study led by Dr Unwin testing the low-carb approach, 50 per cent of patients achieved remission of their type 2 diabetes, without drugs, after an average of a year and nine months.
The fastest case of remission Dr Unwin has seen in his practice is just 38 days, he claimed.
Despite this, the NHS is still promoting the Eatwell Guide – which advises starchy foods make up just a third of what you eat, Dr Unwin said.
The guide was written by Public Health England (PHE) and is recommended by the NHS.
Starch is the carb present in foods such as pasta, rice and bread. Health officials recommend high fibre wholegrain variety, such as brown rice instead of white.
NHS guidelines recommend typically eating 200-300g of carbohydrate per day. A low-carb diet consists of 30-130g of carbohydrates a day.
Dr Unwin said: ‘Thousands of people across the world are going low carb and educating their doctors about the benefits.
‘It’s about time the healthcare profession starts taking their patients and the research we’ve done seriously.
‘We’re seeing amazing results and if we can get everybody completely on board to agreeing low carb is a viable option, just think how wonderful that would be.’
Since he was one of the first to uncover the health benefits of a low-carb approach, Dr Unwin created the Low-Carb Program.
The app, aimed at adults with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and obesity, provides meal plans, community and education.
Since the 1980s, the NHS has sparked controversy by advising people with diabetes to eat a low-fat diet based around starchy carbs.
Now, its latest approach to combating obesity and type 2 diabetes is 800 calorie liquid diets.
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, announced the diet will initially be piloted in up to 5,000 people.
Douglas Twenefour, deputy head of care at Diabetes UK, said: ‘There are many routes to weight loss, and which diet is most suitable depends on the individual.
‘While remission is not possible for everyone, helping more people with type 2 diabetes to manage their condition well and reduce their risk of complications will help to save the NHS money.’
Dr Unwin has been lined up to talk about the low-carb approach at the UK’s largest diabetes conference for healthcare professionals.
He will present ‘Carbs, how to explain their effects on the body to improve clinical outcomes’ at Diabetes Professional Care 2019 (DPC2019) in October.
Maggie Meer, who launched DPC in 2015, said: ‘In the last few years we’ve seen a definite shift among people with type 2 diabetes.
‘They want to take control over their condition and the low-carb approach is allowing them to do that.
‘Dr David Unwin’s work has become world renowned and we’re honoured to have him at DPC2019 to further discuss the benefits of the low-carb approach and how healthcare professionals can empower the people they treat to reverse their type 2 diabetes diagnosis.’
MailOnline has contacted PHE for comment.