How statins can cause diabetes: Pills raise the risk of getting disease by 46 per cent
TAKING statins can increase the risk of developing diabetes by almost half, a study suggests.
And the cholesterol-busting drugs do nothing to prolong the lives of those at low-risk of a heart attack, experts found.
The conclusions, published today, will put rival British doctors at loggerheads over the safety of the cheap, widely prescribed drugs.
One leading cardiologist last night said the benefits of statins, taken by eight million Britons, had been “grossly exaggerated”.
But another heart expert insisted “the benefits will outweigh the risks”.
Researchers in Finland studied 8,749 non-diabetic men to see whether taking two of the most popular statins increased the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.
They found those who took simvastatin or atorvastatin were 46 per cent more likely to develop the condition and those on higher doses were at even greater risk.
Last year, Britain’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issued guidance making 40 per cent of adults eligible for statins.
It said anyone thought to have a greater than 10 per cent chance of a heart attack or stroke within 10 years should be offered the drug on the NHS.
It means virtually all men aged over 55 and women over 65 are encouraged to take statins to stave off fatal cardiovascular disease.
But London cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra said: “Although the benefits are clear in reducing the risk of death in those with established heart disease this is not the case for a low-risk population.
“Millions see them as a magic pill but they are not.
“This research shows you are more likely to develop irreversible Type 2 diabetes than prevent a non-fatal heart attack if you are at low risk.”
Participants in the study, carried out by the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, were aged between 45 and 73 and followed for six years. New diabetes was diagnosed in 625 men.
Diabetes - The Facts
Millions see them as a magic pill but they are not
After results were adjusted for other factors, researchers found those treated with statins were almost half as likely to develop diabetes than those not treated with the drugs.
The findings are published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
The research was led by Professor Markku Laakso, a specialist in the genetics of Type 2 diabetes.
He said: “The association of statin use with increased risk of developing diabetes is most likely directly related to statins decreasing both insulin sensitivity and secretion.
Statin therapy was associated with a 46 per cent increased risk of Type 2 diabetes after adjustment for confounding factors, suggesting a higher risk of diabetes in the general population than previously reported.”
Last year, in protest at the NICE guidance, nine of the UK’s leading medics vowed to ban prescribing the drugs to their patients.
Among them was Dr Malcolm Kendrick, author of The Great Cholesterol Con, who said: “Ironically diabetes triples the risk of heart disease for men and multiplies it by five for women, so the very drugs given to prevent heart disease may well be causing it in, potentially, millions of people.
“Many researchers have been aware for many years that the true rate of side effects from statins have been hidden and under-reported.”
A recent study by researchers at London’s Imperial College claimed statins have virtually no side effects, with users experiencing fewer adverse symptoms than if they had taken a placebo.
Cardiovascular disease is Britain’s biggest killer, accounting for almost a third of all deaths.
Dr Alasdair Rankin, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: “We know statins slightly increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, but this is greatly outweighed by their overall benefits for people at risk of heart disease.”
Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, added: “It is important that people taking statins because of existing cardiovascular disease should continue to take them, as the benefits will outweigh the risks.”
