ATLANTA, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says diabetics are doing a better job of monitoring their blood sugar and fewer are developing heart disease.

A CDC study found that in adults 35 years and older with diagnosed diabetes, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease decreased by more than 11 percent over an eight-year period. The report, published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, said the decrease may be due in part to declining rates of cardiovascular disease risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and to increased use of preventive treatments such as daily aspirin, the agency said Thursday in a news release.

A second CDC study found adults with diabetes who checked their blood glucose levels at least once a day increased by more than 22 percent between 1997 and 2006.