Lowering blood sugar to near-normal levels is a proven treatment for Type 1 diabetics, but it may not be the best treatment for those with Type 2 diabetes, particularly those with heart disease or multiple risk factors for heart disease, government scientists said today. Researchers had to curtail a major clinical trial of intensive treatment for such patients after concluding that patients with the lowest blood sugar levels had an increased risk of dying compared to those with a more modest reduction of sugar levels. The findings were a surprise to researchers, who expected to see a clear benefit from the lower sugar levels, and their source remains a mystery. Analysis has been unable to link the increased death rate to episodes of hypoglycemia — low blood sugar — or to any drug or combination of drugs used in the study. In particular, they did not find any link to the diabetes drug rosiglitazone, trade-named Avandia, which has previously been linked to deaths from heart disease among those taking it. Dr. William T. Friedewald of Columbia University, who led the study, cautioned that most diabetes patients are not aiming to achieve such low blood sugar levels, […]