A new report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that aggressively pursuing low blood pressure and cholesterol levels may not benefit, and could even harm, some patients with diabetes.

Researchers constructed a mathematical model to assess whether aggressive treatments would equally benefit all patients with diabetes.

They found that treating all diabetics to reduce hypertension and LDL
cholesterol levels is not beneficial. In fact, they say only about a quarter of all diabetics, in particular those with high cardiac risk factors, should be aggressively treated.

"Current treatment approaches that encourage uniformly lowering risk factors to common target levels can be both inefficient and cause unnecessary harm," the study’s authors wrote.

Natural ways to treat and prevent hypertension include weight loss and exercise, as well as supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic.

Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are also considered key to keeping cholesterol in check. Among the herbs and nutritional supplements believed to help lower levels are fish oil, flaxseed, garlic, blond psyllium, guggulipid extract, green tea extract and beta sitosterol.