Diabetes risk no reason to stop taking statins, says heart charity

17 February 2010

People taking statins may have a small increased risk of developing diabetes, according to new research published by The Lancet. The authors looked at data from a number of sources to resolve uncertainty around the issue following results from other studies.

Commenting on the findings Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said:

"It is well established that people with, or at high risk of, heart disease benefit from taking statins. However, some studies have shown that statins may increase the risk of developing diabetes, whilst other studies have shown a reduced risk.

"This analysis, which looks at the combined data from several statin trials, suggests that statins do indeed increase the risk of developing diabetes, particularly in the elderly, but by a very small amount.

"People with, or at high risk of, heart disease, should continue to take statins because, for them, the benefits of statins far outweigh this small risk. However, people at low risk of heart disease who are tempted to take statins to prevent heart disease should be aware that this risk exists. More research is needed to confirm this association and understand its implications for use of statins in people at low risk of developing heart disease."

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