--- title: Heart Attacks, Strokes Related to Type 2 Diabetes Drop Dramatically description: In a new study, researchers found that the rates of heart attacks and deaths related to high blood sugar dropped 60% from 1990 to 2010. The rates of lower extremity amputations, as well as strokes, dropped by about 50% canonical: https://time.com/65830/heart-attacks-strokes-related-to-type-2-diabetes-drop-dramatically/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-16T22:37:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T07:20:48.675Z article:section: Health og:title: Heart Attacks, Strokes Related to Type 2 Diabetes Drop Dramatically og:description: In a new study, researchers found that the rates of heart attacks and deaths related to high blood sugar dropped 60% from 1990 to 2010. The rates of lower extremity amputations, as well as strokes, dropped by about 50% og:url: https://time.com/65830/heart-attacks-strokes-related-to-type-2-diabetes-drop-dramatically/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Heart Attacks, Strokes Related to Type 2 Diabetes Drop Dramatically twitter:description: In a new study, researchers found that the rates of heart attacks and deaths related to high blood sugar dropped 60% from 1990 to 2010. The rates of lower extremity amputations, as well as strokes, dropped by about 50% twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Heart Attacks, Strokes Related to Type 2 Diabetes Drop Dramatically by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 16, 2014 10:37 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 16, 2014 10:37 PM UTC The rates of type 2 diabetes-related complications, like heart attacks, kidney failure, strokes, and amputations, have significantly dropped in the last 20 years. In the new study, published in _The New England Journal of Medicine_, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at four major data sets and found that the rates of heart attacks and deaths related to high blood sugar dropped 60% from 1990 to 2010\. The rates of lower extremity amputations, as well as strokes, dropped by about 50%, and end-stage kidney failure by 30%. “We were a bit surprised by magnitude of the decrease in heart attack and stroke,” lead study author Edward W. Gregg, a senior epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, [told _The New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/health/type-2-diabetes-complications-show-sharp-decline-report-finds.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&%5Fr=0). Still, over the same study period, the number of Americans with diabetes tripled, rising to 26 million. While the sharp decline in compilations is reassuring, it’s likely because the medical community has gotten better at diagnosis and treatment. \[[_The New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/health/type-2-diabetes-complications-show-sharp-decline-report-finds.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&%5Fr=0)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/65830/heart-attacks-strokes-related-to-type-2-diabetes-drop-dramatically/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/65830/heart-attacks-strokes-related-to-type-2-diabetes-drop-dramatically/"},"headline":"Heart Attacks, Strokes Related to Type 2 Diabetes Drop Dramatically","datePublished":"2014-04-16T22:37:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:20:48.675Z","description":"In a new study, researchers found that the rates of heart attacks and deaths related to high blood sugar dropped 60% from 1990 to 2010. 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