Experts agree that the benefits of statins often outweigh their risks.
What Are the Benefits of Statins?
Statins, which can lower cholesterol by 30 to 50 percent, significantly reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and early death.
But nearly half of all people who could benefit from taking medication for cholesterol issues are not doing so.
Researchers estimate that closing these treatment gaps could prevent nearly 100,000 heart attacks and as many as 65,000 strokes in the United States annually.
“What I say to my patients is, ‘I’m not going to prevent your diabetes by withholding a statin that you need because I’m trying to prevent heart attacks and strokes,’” Lloyd-Jones says.
The benefits are similar for people with diabetes. Adults with type 2 diabetes who use a statin may reduce their risk of death by 27 percent while taking it and are 37 percent less likely to experience a major cardiovascular event than those who don’t, according to landmark research.
If a rise in blood sugar concerns you or your doctor, there are numerous lifestyle changes that can offset the potential for high blood sugar while taking statins. These include eating at regular times and limiting alcohol.
“A healthy diet, regular exercise, and glucose lowering medications can help maintain stable blood sugar levels even while taking statins,” Dr. Rizik says. “These changes can counteract the potential rise in blood sugar associated with statin therapy.”
Do Statins Cause Diabetes?
“If you’re starting with normal blood sugar, you will not get diabetes by starting a statin — we don’t see that, ever,” Lloyd-Jones says. “The people who may get diagnosed with diabetes after starting a statin are very close to the threshold for diagnosis anyway.”
But when statins raise blood sugar levels that are already high, they will invariably help push some people with prediabetes into type 2 diabetes. One comprehensive study on statins and diabetes shows that statins may speed up the onset of diabetes by 5.4 weeks among people who develop diabetes.
Your risk of statin-induced diabetes also depends on a few other factors, including:
- Traditional diabetes risk factors such as obesity, genetic history, and a sedentary lifestyle
- Use of glucocorticoid steroids, which also increase insulin resistance
- Use of statins that are less likely to trigger insulin resistance, such as pitavastatin