A portion of an ongoing diabetes study was recently halted when one of the groups experienced 54 more deaths than another. The group with the higher number of deaths was composed of diabetes patients who were asked to radically lower their blood sugar levels. The comparison group was also lowering their blood sugar levels, but not as much.
Nothing in the previous literature suggested that lowering blood sugar could be dangerous for diabetics, provided they did not do so abruptly.
Thus, the researchers deemed it necessary, on ethical grounds, to halt the part of the study where patients were attempting to lower their blood sugar levels to near the levels of a normal, non-diabetic person.
Read the New York Times article for more information. This study shows the necessity of monitoring data collection and making adjustments to protocols as necessary.
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