Diabetes: risk factor for Alzheimer's

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

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