Intensive Blood Sugar Control Can Be Counterproductive

In the ACCORD trial, investigators intended to find out if lowering the blood sugar of people with type 2 diabetes to normal levels would reduce their risk of dying. ACCORD stands for Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes. The scientists who ran the trial were stunned to find that the volunteers in the intensive treatment arm of the study actually were at higher risk of dying. As a result, the trial was stopped early.
The researchers now report that the negative effects of aggressive blood sugar control were long lasting. More than a year after the intensive treatment was discontinued, people who had been in that group were still at a higher risk of death from any cause as well as from cardiovascular events. The investigators conclude that intensive blood sugar control cannot be recommended routinely for patients at high risk of complications from type 2 diabetes.
[New England Journal of Medicine, Mar. 3, 2011]