By David Liu, Ph.D.

Saturday July 30, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in a recent issue of British Medical Journal shows that compared to the standard treatment, intensive glucose lowering treatment is not more effective in reducing the risk of death, cardiovascular death and micro-vascular events in diabetes mellitus patients.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, accounting for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases, is a condition in which the patients are able to produce insulin normally, but for some reason, their bodies can't use insulin effectively in dealing with blood sugar glucose.  An estimated 20 million Americans live with diabetes.

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at higher risk for death, kidney disease, heart disease and stroke among other complications. It is currently believed that lowering glucose treatment may help diabetes patients to reduce the risk.

The study found intensive glucose lowering treatment did not help more than the standard treatment does to reduce the risk of all-cause deaths and deaths from cardiovascular diseases or events like heart disease, heart attack and strokes.

The study led by Catherine Cornu at the Louis Pradel Hospital in Bron, France analysed data from 13 previous studies of 34,533 diabetes patients of whom 18, 315 were assigned intensive glucose lowering therapies and the remaining were given only standard treatment.

The only difference is that diabetes patients who received intensive glucose lowering treatment reduced their odds of non-fatal heart attack by 15 percent and microalbuminuria by 10 percent, compared to those who received standard treatment only.

However, there was a catch: the intensive glucose lowering treatment more than doubled the risk of severe hypoglycemia - a condition in which diabetes mellitus patients have dangerously low blood glucose levels.

The researchers conclude: "Intensive glucose lowering treatment of type 2 diabetes should be considered with caution and therapeutic escalation should be limited."