Diabetes, glycaemic control and wellbeing

This PhD project explored the psychobiology of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In particular, it aimed to understand the protective role of positive affect in people with type 2 diabetes and potential biological mechanisms including cardiovascular, inflammatory and neuroendocrine pathways. It investigated the interaction between psychological factors and biological processes in relation to long-term health outcomes in people with pre-diabetes and/or established type 2 diabetes to better understand the trajectories of disease. The project analysed data from the Diabetes Study, which involves laboratory and naturalistic measurements as well as data from nationally representative cohort studies such as the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). 

The study was part of Laura Panagi's PhD project which was funded by a British Heart Foundation studentship grant.

Principal Investigators: Dr Laura Panagi and Professor Andrew Steptoe

Contact: Professor Andrew Steptoe (a.steptoe@ucl.ac.uk) or Laura Panagi (laura.panagi.16@ucl.ac.uk)