Aggressively lowering blood sugar levels in diabetics is of no benefit to the heart, two new studies have found. Thus doctors who lower their patients' blood sugar to normal values can expect no reduction in their chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

The research, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine and scheduled to be presented at the scientific meeting of the American Diabetes Association, was initiated because it is already known that high blood sugar levels indeed are linked to many cardiovascular problems. However, it doesn't go both ways: low sugar levels have no cardiovascular benefits. The intensive treatment consists of a mix of diabetes drugs and insulin.

However, even though cardiovascular health is not influenced by the aggressive treatment, kidney health is. The scientists found a 21 percent decrease in kidney problems in patients whose blood sugar was aggressively lowered to normal values.

Diabetes mellitus, usually referred to as diabetes, is a syndrome characterized by disordered metabolism which leads to inappropriately high blood sugar. Specifically, Type 2 Diabetes, which is the most common form, is primarily characterized by insulin resistance, relative insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia. The disease is chronic and progressive and has no clearly established cure.

Treatment focuses only on preservation of quality of life and reduction of mortality and concomitant morbidity from complications.