A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has found that individuals with diabetes and their doctors have differing views on how to manage important health issues.

Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 92 doctors and their nearly 1,200 patients who had diabetes and hypertension. Of the 714 pairs, 28 percent did not prioritize health conditions the same way.

While both groups frequently ranked diabetes and hypertension among their top concerns, 38 percent of doctors were more likely to rank hypertension as the most important, while only 18 percent of diabetics said it was the most important. Patients were also more likely to prioritize symptoms such as pain and depression.

"If a patient and their doctor do not agree on which of these issues should be prioritized, it will be difficult for them to come up with an effective treatment plan together," said the study’s lead author Dr. Donna Zulman.

The findings show that doctors are often concerned about the risk of long-term diabetes complications such as heart disease or kidney disease while patients may be concerned with symptomatic problems such as back pain or depression.

Nutritional supplements containing beta carotene, blond psyllium, chromium, flaxseed, ginseng and milk thistle are among the substances believed to help naturally lower blood sugar in diabetics.