First is a review of some research done to determine what advantages exist, real or assumed, in how tight a control should be kept on the diabetic condition as well as the effectiveness of diabetic medications on the condition.

Below this is a recent patient study done on tight control.

\"Tight control is defined as keeping the fasting [after waking but before eating] blood sugar as close as possible to the levels found in non diabetic people -- generally in the 80 to 130 range. Loose control allows the blood sugar levels to drift higher, to the 150 to 200 range.\"

\"Several large-scale studies comparing \'tight control\' of the blood sugar in diabetics [insulin dependent] with more loose control have shown that retinopathy is increased in the tight-control group.\"

\"Though type 2 patients do have diabetes, their main problems are the complications of this condition. The most serious of these is accelerated atherosclerosis (plugging of the arteries with fat and cholesterol) that leads to heart attacks and poor circulation in the legs.\"

\"The incidence of heart attacks and death from heart disease among diabetics is about twice that of non diabetics.\"

\"What continues to plague those of us who treat diabetic patients is that the complications of this disease have never been shown to be significantly reduced by improved control of the glucose either with insulin or with the oral drugs.\"

excerpted from Reversing Diabetes
by Julian M. Whitaker, M.D.

Tight Blood Sugar Control
Increases Diabetic Death Rate

A long-term 10,000 diabetic patient study was recently halted 18 months early, due to an unexpected increase in deaths.

The US Government’s National Institutes of Health was running this study to answer the key question:

“Could pushing blood sugar to near-normal levels of an average of 100 help protect high-risk patients\' hearts?”

(This is below today\'s recommended blood sugar target of an average of 170 for diabetics.)

In the group pushing for near normal levels, many patients took multiple drugs and insulin shots, adhered to strict diets and regularly met with counselors and doctors who monitored them.

The reason the study was ended early was that the number of deaths from heart attacks and unexpected sudden deaths was 25% higher in the group that was pushing for normal or close to normal blood sugar levels as compared to those looking to maintain the existing recommended blood sugar target of 170.

The use of diabetic oral drugs and insulin does not address the root cause of the diabetic problem.