Do cholesterol-lowering drugs increase diabetes risk?

This study compared the benefits and risks of cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, on reducing heart problems and increasing the occurrence of diabetes.

Diabetes, or diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar mainly due to the body not producing the sugar-lowering hormone, insulin, (type 1 diabetes) or the body no longer responding to insulin (type 2 diabetes).

All types of diabetes result in too much sugar in the blood, which can lead to serious health problems. Prediabetes is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Prediabetes means a person is at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, as well as for heart disease and stroke. Many people with prediabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years.

One of the world’s most widely used drugs, statins, reduce the build up of cholesterol (a fatty substance) in blood vessels to help prevent heart disease problems such as a heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke. However, despite their positive effects on the heart, statins have been associated with increasing the risk of developing diabetes.

This study looked at the use of statins and whether their benefits of reducing heart problems and mortality due to heart disease outweigh the risk of developing diabetes. 

Prediabetes was identified as participants having high sugar levels without being prescribed antidiabetic medications. Among prediabetic subjects, individuals aged >45 years who continuously received statins before diabetes diagnosis and those who did not receive statins before diabetes diagnosis were enrolled. Individuals were excluded if they had endocrine disorders, had received other cholesterol lowering drugs or previously received steroids.

The study was carried out for an average of 4.1 years. During this time 28.5% of patients on statins developed diabetes, compared to 23.5% among non-statin users; 12% of statin users experienced a major heart problem such as stroke and heart failure compared to 16.7% of non-statin users. The study found that patients who took statins persistently for a long period of time had the highest risk of developing diabetes yet had an even greater reduction in heart disease problems. 

The study concluded that the benefit of statin treatment on reducing heart problems outweighs the increased risk of developing diabetes. 

This study did not take into account other risk factors of diabetes such as family history, body weight and caloric intake, which could obscure results. 

If you or someone you know is receiving statin medication, discuss with a doctor the associated risk of developing diabetes along with current risk factors such family history, body weight and caloric intake.