In a collaboration with British researchers, Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta is leading a clinical trial that combines supervised exercise with meal replacements for weight loss and diabetes remission
There are almost 6 million Canadians living with diagnosed diabetes (type 1 or type 2) according to Diabetes Canada, and the incidence rate is on the rise.
Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta is trying to change this, by advancing research, and working with policymakers. A senior scientist in the Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program (MeDiC) at the Research institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Dr. Dasgupta is leading the “RESET for remission” study. This joint Canada-UK project is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) as part of the “100 Years of Insulin” program and by the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom. The randomized clinical trial aims to help people 18 to 45 years old with type 2 diabetes reverse this condition, by bringing their blood sugars below diabetes levels without medications.
“In the UK, a large pilot project is currently being implemented to offer the dietary component to several thousand young people living with type 2 diabetes,” explains Dr. Dasgupta, who is also the Director of the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at the RI-MUHC. “Our innovation is the combination of the diet with supervised exercise, to understand the added benefits.”
Those in the active intervention arm of the RESET study receive a low calorie diet that includes meal replacements like shakes and bars. They also exercise at a gym, under supervision two to three days each week. After three months, they shift to a healthy food-based diet and exercise monitoring without direct supervision. Those in the comparison group have the same tests as the experimental group and then are offered the special diet 6 months later, as thanks for their participation.
A promising project receiving attention from the federal government
The RESET project drew the attention of the Member of Parliament Sonia Sidhu, Chair of the All-Party Diabetes Caucus. On November 2, 2022, she visited the RI-MUHC as part of her work to implement the Framework for Diabetes in Canada, which outlines national efforts to better recognize, collaborate with, and support those impacted by diabetes in Canada.
