Testing a New Diabetes Adaptive Weight management Network (NewDAWN): A protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: The NHS Path to Remission (PtR) offers a total diet replacement (TDR) programme to help people newly-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) lose weight. It is very effective for people who participate, but most eligible people do not take part.

Aim: To assess whether offering a range of weight loss programmes can increase uptake of, and persistence with, weight loss and lead to a higher proportion of the population achieving remission of T2D compared with offering PtR only.

The societal implications of using glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for the treatment of obesity.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) are weight management medications, achieving up to 15%-25% weight loss in clinical trials. Given their effectiveness and potential for scalability, GLP1-RAs are a welcome treatment option for obesity. However, not everyone who could benefit may be able to afford or want to use GLP1-RAs.

Testing the effect of a dynamic descriptive social norm message on meat-free food selection in worksite cafeterias: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Overconsumption of meat is a threat to planetary health. Meat consumption is socially and culturally patterned, and interventions using social norms could be a promising strategy to encourage meat reduction.

Methods: We developed and tested the effectiveness of a dynamic descriptive social norm message displayed in worksite cafeterias (N = 25, intervention = 12, control = 13) to increase meat-free meal selection.

The Effect of Weight Loss Before In Vitro Fertilization on Reproductive Outcomes in Women With Obesity : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: It is unclear whether weight loss before in vitro fertilization (IVF) improves reproductive outcomes in women with obesity.

Purpose: To assess whether weight loss interventions before IVF improve reproductive outcomes.

Data Sources: Five electronic databases through 27 May 2025.

An intensive weight loss programme with behavioural support for people with type 2 diabetes at risk of eating disorders in England (ARIADNE): a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial.

Background: There are concerns that low-energy total diet replacement (TDR) programmes could trigger eating disorders, given their focus on weight and rigid dietary rules. We aimed to assess the effect of a TDR programme on eating disorder symptoms in people living with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing an eating disorder.

Methods: In this randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial, participants with type 2 diabetes, overweight, and eating disorder symptoms across England were randomly assigned (1:1) to a low-energy TDR programme with formula products and behavioural support delivered remotely, or usual care.

The implementation of a Nationally Enhanced Service incentive for weight management: A longitudinal qualitative study of the perceptions and experiences of UK primary care staff on weight management using normalisation process theory.

In 2021 a Nationally Enhanced Service (NES) incentive for weight management in primary care was rolled out in England. This paid general practices £11.50 for every eligible referral they made to a weight management programme.

Severe Dietary Energy Restriction for Compensated Cirrhosis Due to Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Background: Compensated cirrhosis due to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (CC-MASLD) increases morbidity and mortality risk but has no aetiology-specific treatment. We investigated the safety and efficacy signals of severe energy restriction.

Methods: In this randomised controlled trial, adults with CC-MASLD and obesity in a tertiary hepatology centre were randomised 2:1 to receive one-to-one remote dietetic support with a low-energy (880 kcal/day, 80 g protein/day) total diet replacement programme for 12 weeks and stepped food reintroduction for another 12 weeks or standard of care (SoC).

The impact of weight loss interventions on disordered eating symptoms in people with overweight and obesity: a systematic review & meta-analysis.

Background: It is unclear whether weight loss interventions worsen disordered eating in people living with overweight/obesity. We aimed to systematically evaluate the association between weight loss interventions and disordered eating.

Methods: Six databases were searched from inception until September 2024.

Adolescent and parental views on weight and weight management: a qualitative study.

Objective: To examine the views of adolescents with excess weight and parents of adolescents with excess weight towards weight and weight management.

Design: A qualitative study design using semi-structured phone interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to interpret the data.

Calorie (energy) labelling for changing selection and consumption of food or alcohol.

Background: Overconsumption of food and consumption of any amount of alcohol increases the risk of non-communicable diseases. Calorie (energy) labelling is advocated as a means to reduce energy intake from food and alcoholic drinks. However, there is continued uncertainty about these potential impacts, with a 2018 Cochrane review identifying only a small body of low-certainty evidence.

Testing the effect of ecolabels on the environmental impact of food purchases in worksite cafeterias: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Reducing the environmental impact of foods consumed is important for meeting climate goals. We aimed to conduct a randomised controlled trial to test whether ecolabels reduce the environmental impact of food selected in worksite cafeterias, alone or in combination with increased availability of more sustainable meal options.

Methods: Worksite cafeterias (n = 96) were randomised to one of three study groups, with 54 included for final analysis.

Healthy eating interventions conducted in small, local restaurants and hot food takeaways: a systematic review.

Objective: This systematic review investigates the characteristics, effectiveness and acceptability of interventions to encourage healthier eating in small, independent restaurants and takeaways.

Design: We searched five databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index) in June 2022. Eligible studies had to measure changes in sales, availability, nutritional quality, portion sizes or dietary intake of interventions targeting customer behaviour or restaurant environments.

Weight control efforts and practices and health professional advice: a cross-sectional national survey in England.

Objectives: There is evidence that general practitioners (GPs) can increase the uptake of weight management programmes that enhance weight loss compared with self-directed efforts, but the rate at which they do so is unclear. This study examined the prevalence of weight control efforts and practices, the reported frequency and impact of receipt of GP advice on weight loss attempts and perceptions of the appropriateness of health professionals delivering weight loss advice.

Design: A nationally representative cross-sectional survey.

Effect of the National Enhanced Service for weight management on the content of annual review consultations for patients living with obesity and hypertension and/or diabetes.

Guidelines specify that clinicians should support patients living with obesity by referring to weight management programmes (WMPs), but clinicians do so infrequently. To provide additional support to patients living with obesity and weight-related conditions, the UK government instated the National Enhanced Service (NES) for weight management in England, including a reimbursement to general practices for referring eligible patients to WMPs. To assess the impact of the NES on conversations regarding weight and relevant behavioural risk factors in primary care consultations we recruited 11 medical practices in England where the NES was operating and six comparator practices from Scotland and Wales where the NES was not implemented.

Do calorie labels change energy purchased in a simulated online food delivery platform? A multi-arm randomised controlled trial.

Background: As rates of obesity and overweight continue to increase in the UK, calorie labels have been introduced on menus as a policy option to provide information to consumers on the energy content of foods and to enable informed choices. This study tested whether the addition of calorie labels to items in a simulated food delivery platform may reduce the energy content of items selected.

Methods: UK adults (n = 8,780) who used food delivery platforms were asked to use the simulated platform as they would in real life to order a meal for themselves.

Effects of environmental impact labels on the sustainability of food purchases: A randomised controlled trial in an experimental online supermarket.

Providing consumers with product-specific environmental impact information for food products (ecolabels) may promote more sustainable purchasing, needed to meet global environmental targets. This UK study (N = 1051 participants) investigated the effectiveness of different ecolabels using an experimental online supermarket platform, comparing three labels against control (no label). Significant reductions were found in the environmental impact score (EIS) for all labels compared to control (labels presented: values for four environmental indicators [-3.

What is the effect of bariatric surgery on health-related quality of life in people with obesity? Observational cohort analysis of the United Kingdom National Bariatric Surgery Registry.

Background: Previous small studies investigating health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following bariatric surgery have demonstrated heterogenous effects. This study aimed to use National Bariatric Surgery Registry (NBSR) records to investigate the relationship between weight and HRQoL in people undergoing bariatric surgery in the UK.

Materials And Methods: In this observational study using United Kingdom National Bariatric Surgery Registry (NBSR) records between 1st June 2017 and 23rd November 2022, patients undergoing primary bariatric surgery with one baseline and at least one follow-up visit within 1 year from surgery were eligible for inclusion.

Associations between Dietary Patterns and Incident Colorectal Cancer in 114,443 Individuals from the UK Biobank: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Diet-disease association studies increasingly use dietary patterns (DP) to account for the complexity of the exposure. We assessed if a DP associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality is also associated with colorectal cancer.

Methods: We used reduced rank regression on 24-hour recall data to identify DPs, explaining the maximum variation in four nutrient-response variables: energy density, saturated fatty acids, free sugars, and fiber density.

The impact of the English calorie labelling policy on the energy content of food offered and purchased in worksite cafeterias: a natural experiment.

Background: On 6 April 2022, legislation came into effect in England requiring calorie labels to be applied to food items on menus of larger food businesses. This study aimed to assess the impact of calorie labelling on (a) food purchased and (b) energy content of menu options in worksite cafeterias.

Methods: Product-level sales data and energy content of available items was obtained from 142 worksite cafeterias from January 2022-October 2022.

Optimising a digitally delivered behavioural weight loss programme: study protocol for a factorial cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Digitally delivered weight loss programmes can provide a convenient, potentially cheaper, and scalable treatment option for people who may need to lose weight. However, outcomes are often inferior to in-person interventions in the long-term. This trial will use principles from the Multiphase Optimisation Strategy (MOST) framework to test whether it can enhance the effectiveness of a commercial digital behavioural weight loss programme.