Paradox of Using Intensive Lowering of Blood Glucose in Diabetics and Strategies to Overcome It and Decrease Cardiovascular Risks

• Published in: Chinese journal of integrative medicine Vol. 21; no. 10; pp. 791 - 800
• Main Author: 衡先培 杨柳清 陈敏灵 李亮 黄苏萍 雷缨
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Chinese Association of Traditional and Western Medicine 01.10.2015
• Subjects: Academic Exploration; Blood Glucose - analysis; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Diabetes Mellitus - blood; Diabetes Mellitus - drug therapy; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Humans; Hyperglycemia - complications; Hyperglycemia - etiology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; 强化; 心血管疾病; 悖论; 患者; 糖尿病; 血糖水平; 风险; 高血糖; harmless hyperglycemia; Chinese herbal medicine; cardiovascular risk; glucose toxicity; diabetes
• ISSN: 1672-0415; 1993-0402
• DOI: 10.1007/s11655-015-0780-5

ABSTRACT Hyperglycemia significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease （CVD） in diabetics. However, it has been shown by a series of large scale international studies that intensive lowering of blood glucose levels not only has very limited benefits against cardiovascular problems in patients, but may even be harmful to patients at a high risk for CVD and/or poor long-term control of blood glucose levels. Therefore, Western medicine is faced with a paradox. One way to solve this may be administration of Chinese herbal medicines that not only regulate blood glucose, blood fat levels and blood pressure, but also act on multiple targets. These medicines can eliminate cytotoxicity of high glucose through anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant methods, regulation of cytokines and multiple signaling molecules, and maintenance of cell vitality and the cell cycle, etc. This allows hyperglycemic conditions to exist in a healthy manner, which is called ＂harmless hyperglycemia＂ Furthermore, these cardiovascular benefits go beyond lowering blood glucose leve~s. The mechanisms of action not only avoid cardiovascular injury caused by intensive lowering of blood glucose levels, but also decrease the cardiovascular dangers posed by hyperglycemia.