22 Jun 2024 • A randomized clinical trial in China found that a 5:2 meal replacement diet (MR) can effectively improve glycemic outcomes and promote weight loss in the short term for overweight or obese adults with early type 2 diabetes, surpassing the effects of metformin or empagliflozin.

• In this study, 405 participants (65.4% men, mean age 45.5 years, mean BMI 29.5, HbA1C 7.9%) were allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive either metformin, empagliflozin, or a 5:2 intermittent MR diet regimen (5 days normal diet, 2 nonconsecutive days fasting) over a 16-week treatment period, followed by an 8-week follow-up.

• Participants in the 5:2 MR group showed the largest reduction in HbA1c. This reduction was significantly greater than in the metformin group and the empagliflozin group. Participants in the 5:2 MR group also achieved the greatest weight loss which was significantly more than that observed in the metformin group and the empagliflozin group.

Source:JAMA| Read full story