Diabetics who keep too tight a rein on their blood sugar levels risk having traffic accidents due to low blood sugar, according to new Canadian research reported on health news website Healthday.

And the findings have led the authors to question some of the rules regarding driving licences for diabetics in many countries.

Diabetics are recommended to keep their blood sugar under control in order to manage their condition and ward off complications such as heart and kidney disease.

Elevated blood sugar levels can negatively affect an area of the brain within the hippocampus that helps form memories, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Colombia University Medical Centre in the United States say the effects are clear even when blood sugar levels are only slightly elevated, which may help explain cognitive decline in the elderly - as glucose regulation worsens as we age, reports The New York Times.