Statins increase the risk of diabetes

This study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2010 Mar 23;55(12):1209-16

 

Study title and authors:

Atorvastatin causes insulin resistance and increases ambient glycemia in hypercholesterolemic patients.

Koh KK, Quon MJ, Han SH, Lee Y, Kim SJ, Shin EK.

Department of Cardiology, Gachon University, Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea. kwangk@gilhospital.com

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20298928

This study investigated the association between statins and diabetes risk. The study was a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled parallel study that was conducted in 44 patients taking placebo and in 42, 44, 43, and 40 patients given daily atorvastatin 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg, respectively, during a two-month treatment period.

The study found:
(a) Atorvastatin at 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg daily significantly increased fasting insulin levels by 25%, 42%, 31%, and 45%, respectively.
(b) Atorvastatin at 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg daily significantly increased glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c levels) by 2%, 5%, 5%, and 5%, respectively.
(c) Atorvastatin at 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg daily decreased insulin sensitivity by 1%, 3%, 3%, and 4%, respectively.

Stain treatment increased fasting insulin levels, increased glycated hemoglobin levels and decreased insulin sensitivity which all indicate an increased risk of diabetes.