According to new research, there is an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes among those who take statins in order to control their blood cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease.
Statins are prescribed to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular events such as heart attacks. In the United States, more than 83% of people between the ages of 40 and 59 take statins.
Statins are effective at lowering cholesterol and preventing cardiovascular disease; however, some studies have suggested that they may actually increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
One study from Ohio State University has further explored the association between statin use and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Led by a graduate researcher in public health, Victoria Zigmont, the study found that stains may indeed increase the risk of the metabolic condition.
The findings were published in the journal Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews.
Zigmont and her team analyzed the health records of more than 4,680 people who were not diabetic but were at risk of cardiovascular disease. The study started in 2011 and ended in 2014. Of all the participants, nearly 755 people (16%) were taking statins during the study.
The team also took other cofounders into consideration, such as age, gender, ethnicity, education, blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and the number of doctor visits.
The study researchers found that people who were under statin therapy were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those who had not taken the medication. They also found that people who took statins for more than two years were more than three times as likely to develop diabetes.
Zigmont said, “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.”
The study also found that those who took statins had a risk of elevated blood sugar. Zigmont added, “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.”
