Both diabetes and hypertension are common risk factors associated with cognitive dysfunction in later life. Both diseases are clearly associated with ischemic damage primarily to the cranial brain and other organs, and evidence suggests that both diseases are also associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology and imaging changes (e.g., brain atrophy). The study of the relationship between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease was conducted by scholars at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, USA. The study found that developing diabetes in midlife was associated with subcortical infarcts, reduced hippocampal volume, reduced whole brain volume, and an increased prevalence of mild cognitive impairment. The association between diabetes and mild cognitive impairment persisted after correcting for cerebral infarction and white matter high signal volume. In contrast, the development of hypertension and diabetes in later life had little effect on cranial imaging biometrics and cognitive function. Developing diabetes in midlife may affect cognitive function in later life through brain volume reduction, whereas developing hypertension in midlife may affect executive function through ischemic pathological changes in brain tissue.