A Danish diet is now helping to ease the pressure on health authorities in the United Kingdom
By Robert Hendel
Behind CEO Peter Wedelheim stands a diet that has opened the doors to the British healthcare system.
Photo: Robert Hendel
In an office in Brøndbyvester, Nupo is still working with the diet that was developed at Hvidovre Hospital in 1981. At the time, the powder was intended for severely overweight patients ahead of bariatric surgery. Four decades later, however, the powder from Copenhagen’s western suburbs has become part of a much larger healthcare puzzle beyond Denmark’s borders.
The short version
- Danish powder from Copenhagen’s western suburbs plays a central role in the UK’s fight against type 2 diabetes.
- Nupo, originally developed at Hvidovre Hospital, is now part of the NHS programme 'Path to Remission'.
- The programme aims to bring type 2 diabetes into remission through a low-calorie diet.
- Nupo gained access to the NHS through strategic alliances and investments in health platforms.
- The company collaborates with researchers to further document the diet’s effects.
What began as a niche treatment for patients at a hospital in Hvidovre is today part of the fight against a disease affecting millions of Britons. Type 2 diabetes is among the biggest public health challenges in the United Kingdom, where the healthcare system spends billions of pounds each year on treatment and related complications.
In England alone, around 3.6 million adults live with diabetes, and across the UK 4.6 million people have been diagnosed. Nine out of ten cases are type 2 diabetes, and a further 1.3 million are believed to have the condition without knowing it.
“I believe it can change the way patients with type 2 diabetes are treated – without medication having to stand alone.” Peter Wedelheim, CEO of Nupo
The challenge has grown so extensive that only a coordinated national effort can curb it. When the numbers reach this scale, it becomes a national issue – and there is only one place that can truly make a difference.
The British healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS), is one of the world’s largest employers, but it is also known for its heavy bureaucracy. For most companies, the door therefore remains closed. Nupo, however, has managed to get through.
The right alliances
Access did not come easily. It was made possible through targeted investments and strategic alliances, with Nupo linking its product to a digital health platform that already had a foothold within the British health authorities.
This opened the way for Nupo’s products to become part of the NHS programme *Path to Remission*. Here, patients with type 2 diabetes begin with a strict low-calorie diet for three months before gradually returning to a normal diet under supervision.
The goal is remission – where the disease is brought under control, blood sugar stabilises at levels comparable to those of healthy individuals, and patients are able to live without insulin and daily medication.
“I believe it can change the way patients with type 2 diabetes are treated – without medication standing alone. We are incredibly proud of that,” Peter Wedelheim told Sjællandske Nyheder.
That a Danish company now plays a role in the British healthcare system is the result of a combination of scientific documentation, investment and the right alliances.
A decisive step came in February 2025, when Nupo, together with its owner IBL Group, invested in the Danish health platform Liva Healthcare, which delivers digital programmes with personal coaching for patients with chronic lifestyle-related diseases.
The NHS opens new doors
So far, Liva has helped more than 80,000 people through its platform, and with Nupo’s investment the company was able to expand further. Among other things, the investment made it possible to acquire the British provider Discover Momenta, which was already delivering programmes to the NHS.
This gave Nupo access to 13 of England’s 42 regions and a place in a system that is notoriously difficult to enter.
“When we can say that we are part of the NHS, it creates trust. Not only in England, but also in other countries where we are entering the market,” says Peter Wedelheim.
In collaboration with Liva Healthcare, Nupo will serve around 5,000 patients annually through the NHS programme. At the same time, the company works with researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Steno Diabetes Center and Oxford University to further document the effect of the diet.
From the bright corridors in Brøndbyvester, Peter Wedelheim helps steer Nupo into new markets. Photo: Robert Hendel
For a company that began as a niche treatment at Hvidovre Hospital, the leap into the British healthcare system is historic. According to the CEO, it is fundamentally about returning to the roots.
“We do not want to compete with medication. We want to complement it, and we want to continue being a solution that the healthcare system can actively use in the treatment of patients,” says Peter Wedelheim.
At the headquarters in Brøndbyvester, he and the rest of the Nupo team continue to work with the same core formula developed by Flemming Quaade at Hvidovre Hospital in 1981. Four decades later, the powder is no longer a niche treatment, but an important tool in the fight against one of the United Kingdom’s largest public health challenges.
