New research indicates that taking statins in hopes of lowering your cholesterol may put you at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
Although previous research has suggested that statins’ ability to lower cholesterol can help reduce the risk of heart attacks and coronary heart disease, they may boost the risk for diabetes. A new study from a team at The Ohio State University set out to further explore the correlation.
The new research
The team analyzed the health records of more than 4,600 people who were at risk of heart disease but didn’t have diabetes. Of those 4,600+, 755 people were taking statins when the study started.
Accounting for factors like age, sex, ethnicity BMI, education, waist circumference, number of doctor visits and triglyceride and cholesterol levels, the team looked for correlations to develop over the three-year study. They found that:
- Men and women who took statins were 2x more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (compared to those who didn’t take statins).
and
- Men and women who took statins for more than two years were 3x more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
And
- Men and women who took statins had a 6.5% higher risk of elevated blood sugar.
Don’t stop taking statins
“The fact that increased duration of statin use was associated with an increased risk of diabetes—something we call a dose-dependent relationship—makes us think that this is likely a causal relationship,” explains the study’s lead researcher, Victoria Zigmont. “That said, statins are very effective in preventing heart attacks and strokes. I would never recommend that people stop taking the statin they’ve been prescribed based on this study, but it should open up further discussions about diabetes prevention and patient and provider awareness of the issue.”
The research was published in the journal Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews.
