What is the relationship between statin use and the development of diabetes? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Men who used statins were much more likely to develop diabetes than men who were otherwise very similar but weren’t taking the cholesterol-lowering drug, a study of a large number of veterans shows. Rita Kalyani, a diabetes expert at Johns Hopkins, explains.

Kalyani: They were looking back to see of those who developed diabetes in a certain period of time, how many of those had used statins in the past versus those who hadn’t. What they found was that people who used statins were much more likely to develop diabetes that those who didn’t and this is not a new finding. It adds to the evidence base of the potential link between statins and progression of diabetes. It is generally felt that cardiovascular risk reduction far outweighs the potential increase in glucose that may occur with use of statins.  :32

Kalyani says anyone who is currently taking statins and is concerned about their own diabetes risk should talk with their doctor about how to lower that risk. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.