For boys, the only difference between those with and without diabetes was in the relaxation time. Suys and his associates theorize that, in children, "perhaps already a small increase in blood glucose is sufficient to initiate changes in the cardiovascular system," thus underscoring the importance of long-term blood sugar control.

Patients with diabetes may benefit from drugs like ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers that are used to treat heart failure, the researchers add, but only further research will clarify this issue.