Helping young families at risk for diabetes

Medavie Health Foundation reaffirmed its commitment in the fight against diabetes with a second grant of $50,000 to Concordia’s PERFORM Centre.

The funding enables the continuation of the Healthy Meals and Steps in Time: Diabetes Prevention for Young Families research program, which is led by Kaberi Dasgupta, an affiliate associate professor in Concordia’s Department of Exercise Science. Dasgupta is also an internal medicine specialist and associate professor of medicine at McGill University.

Medavie Health Foundation’s first grant to the PERFORM Centre, in 2015, advanced the same program. “With the ongoing support of the Medavie Health Foundation, we’re able to continue this important work in exporting our model to a community setting,” says Dasgupta.

The physician’s initiative helps mothers who showed signs of gestational diabetes — a temporary form of diabetes during pregnancy — and their families. This group has an increased likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes later on in life. To avert the risk, the program looks at how the adoption of healthy habits as a family can help.