ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 9 (UPI) -- University of Michigan scientists say diabetics who control their blood sugar levels today are more likely to have healthy feet and nerves tomorrow.
The scientists recently completed a national study that marked the first time strict blood sugar control has been shown to have a long-term effect in controlling neuropathy.
Two-thirds of all people with diabetes develop some degree of nerve problems, or neuropathy. The most common sign is numbness or pain in the feet and legs, which can progress over time to cause disability. Neuropathy plays a major role in 80,000 foot and leg amputations for U.S. diabetics each year.
"This is an exciting finding that adds credence to the idea of metabolic memory, or the concept that there can be a durable effect from early and sustained efforts to keep blood sugar low," says senior author Dr. Eva Feldman of the University of Michigan Medical School and director of the U-M Neuropathy Center. "It suggests that good glucose control clearly protects patients over the long term."
The study is detailed in the February issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
