Diabetes: Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease

Type 2 diabetes is 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 past three years in animal models, and which was funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) and the FCT.
The researchers detected several physiological and behavioral similarities between diabetic mice and mice genetically manipulated to manifest Alzheimer's disease, including increased 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 Diseases, and reinforce the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles.