Diabetes: a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Type 2 diabetes represents a risk factor for the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This is the main conclusion of a study conducted by the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and the Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra over the last three years in animal models, which was funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN) and the FCT.
The researchers detected several physiological and behavioral similarities between diabetic mice and mice genetically engineered to manifest Alzheimer's disease, including increased levels of beta-amyloid protein in diabetic mice, which promotes the deposition of senile plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

The results will be published shortly in the May issue of the Journal of Alzheimer Diseases, and reinforce the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles.