Diabetes: From Beta Cells to Bicycles

On this episode, host Krista Lamb chats with registered dietitian Olivia Wu about sustainable nutrition and type 2 diabetes.

On this episode, Dr. Tamara Cohen joins host Krista Lamb to talk about her research and work developing an app that supports healthy eating in a way that’s inclusive, supportive and easy.

Older adults with type 2 diabetes face unique challenges—and they’re often a very under-studied group. Dr. Graydon Meneilly has spent more than four decades studying diabetes and carbohydrate metabolism in the elderly in order to improve treatments and outcomes.

While genetics play a role in type 2 diabetes development and risk, so too does the world around us. Everything from minimum wage, to government policy, to how we manage major life transitions can impact our T2D risk. Epidemiologist Dr. Annalijn Conklin explains their work using factors like these to try and improve health outcomes.

Medical genetics may be able to help us better predict the risk of type 2 diabetes, and maybe even how to modify risk. Dr. William Gibson discusses his research in this area, as well as what he has learned from studying the genetics behind very unique forms of diabetes.

By studying the biological differences between people from different sexes, could we find ways to improve health outcomes for women and their children? Dr. Angela Devlin is trying to find out. From gestational diabetes to the role of folate in our pancreas, she has much to share about this work.

For far too long, biological sex differences were not factored into research projects. Scientists like Dr. Elizabeth Rideout are changing that.

Dr. Francis Lynn is an associate professor in the Department of Surgery at the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He is working with beta cells and stem cells in the search for improved treatments for diabetes.

Dr. Brian Rodrigues is a Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia.

In this week's episode, Dr. Rodrigues and host Krista Lamb discuss his research into diabetes and the heart.

Dr. Sarah Gray’s work examines the biological mechanisms of metabolism as it relates to obesity and type 2 diabetes.