Dissertation, 16 April 2021: Ying Shang

On 16th of April, Ying Shang at Karolinska Institutet, defended her doctoral thesis entitled: “How can older adults combat diabetes to achieve a longer and healthier life?”.

The objective of the thesis was to investigate the impact of prediabetes and diabetes on health and survival among older adults, and to identify modifiable factors that may attenuate the risk of diabetes on disability and mortality to prolong survival with independence. Data used in this project were derived from the ongoing population-based Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K). Overall, diabetes could increase the risk of dementia secondary to stroke and accelerate decline in physical function. This decline in physical function might start already during prediabetes. Yet, one out of five older adults with prediabetes could revert to normoglycemia with lifestyle modifications such as weight management. Diabetes is related to the risk of disability or death among older adults, but a healthy and socially active lifestyle may attenuate this risk and prolong disability-free survival.

Photo of Ying Shang by Maria Yohuang

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