Lipid-lowering Drugs And Risk Of New-onset Diabetes: A Cohort Study Using Japanese Healthcare Data Linked To Clinical Data For Health Screening
Objective To investigate whether lipid-lowering drugs are associated with new-onset diabetes after adjusting for baseline clinical risk factors for diabetes. Setting Japanese employees of large corporations and their dependents using health insurance claims data linked to clinical and laboratory data for annual health screenings. Participants All persons aged 20 to 74 years with dyslipidaemia between 1 January 2005 and 31 March 2011. We defined the index date as the first date when the person met the criteria for dyslipidaemia. Persons were excluded if they had lipid-lowering drugs, or had a diagnosis, a treatment or a laboratory test result (haemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% or fasting blood glucose ≥126 mg/dL) indicating diabetes during the 6-month period before the index date. Results We identified 68 620 persons with dyslipidaemia. During the mean follow-up period of 1.96 years, 3674 persons started treatment with a lipid-lowering drug: 979 with a low potency statin, 2208 with a high potency statin and 487 with a fibrate. Of 3674 new users of a lipid-lowering drug, 3621 had a period of non-use of any lipid-lowering drugs before starting a lipid-lowering drug. Among statin users, the incidence rate of new-onset diabetes was 124.6 per 1000 person-years compared with 22.6 per 1000 person-years in non-users. After adjusting for confounding factors including clinical data in health screening using Cox proportional hazards models, the HR was 1.91 (95% CI 1.38 to 2.64) for low potency statins and 2.61 (2.11 to 3.23) for high potency statins. Conclusion The use of statins was associated with a 1.9-fold to 2.6-fold increase in the risk of new-onset diabetes in a Japanese population of working age, despite adjusting for clinical risk factors for diabetes. This is an Open Access artic Continue reading >>
Statin Use Linked To Heightened Type 2 Diabetes Risk In Susceptible Individuals
Long term use of statins to lower blood fats and stave off cardiovascular disease is associated with a 30 per cent heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes in susceptible individuals, suggests a large study published in the online journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. The findings held true irrespective of the criteria used to determine the need for treatment, suggesting that these factors weren't major contributors to diabetes risk, say the researchers. They base their findings on 3234 participants in the US Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS). This is a long-term follow up study to a randomised clinical trial which looked at whether modest weight loss through lifestyle changes or treatment with metformin could reduce or delay development of type 2 diabetes in people at high risk. The trial participants were given standard advice on healthy eating and exercise and were randomly assigned to either an intensive lifestyle programme, treatment with metformin, or a dummy drug (placebo). At the end of the trial they were invited to take part in DPPOS, during which their blood fats and blood pressure were measured annually. Blood glucose was measured twice a year, at which point new statin treatment was recorded. At the start of DPPOS fewer than 4 per cent of participants were taking statins, but use of these drugs gradually increased until after 10 years around a third of the participants were taking them. The most commonly prescribed statins were simvastatin (40%) and atorvastatin (37%). The likelihood of a prescription rose substantially after a diagnosis of diabetes. However, statin use was itself associated with a heightened risk of being diagnosed with diabetes, irrespective of which treatment group the participants had been in during the trial. Continue reading >>
Statin Use Linked To Increased Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Statin use is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes among high-risk individuals, a new study reports. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to reduce cardiovascular risks, but a variety of studies have shown the drugs have an association with type 2 diabetes development. These new findings were from a long-term US study of 3,234 patients at high risk of type 2 diabetes, all of whom had elevated BMIs and blood sugar levels. Participants took part in the US Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS) and were randomised to receive different interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes. These included an intensive lifestyle programme, metformin treatment or a placebo drug. They were then followed for an average of 10 years. Fewer than four per cent of participants took statins at the study's start, but this figure increased to around a third of participants after 10 years. Moreover, statin use was associated with heightened type 2 diabetes risk irrespective of which treatment group a patient belonged to. Overall, statin use was associated with a 36 per cent increased risk of type 2 diabetes development compared to those who did not take the drugs. No link was observed between statin potency in diabetes risk, nor in regard to LDL cholesterol. While this was an observational study and no causal link between statin use and diabetes risk can be made, the researchers point to evidence suggesting that statins can impair insulin production. This, they believe, could help explain the diabetes risk. They added, however, that the potential increased risk of diabetes should always be weighed carefully against any benefits of statins, which include reduced risk of a heart attack and stroke in certain groups of people. The findings appear online in the online jo Continue reading >>
Statin Side Effects: Weigh The Benefits And Risks
Statin side effects can be uncomfortable, making it seem like the risks outweigh the benefits of these powerful cholesterol-lowering medications. Doctors often prescribe statins for people with high cholesterol to lower their total cholesterol and reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke. While statins are highly effective, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people and may rarely cause liver damage. Statins include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor). Having too much cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes. Statins block a substance your liver needs to make cholesterol. This causes your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood. If you think you're experiencing side effects from statins, don't just stop taking the pills. Talk to your doctor to see if a change of dosage or even a different type of medication might be helpful. What are statin side effects? Muscle pain and damage One of the most common complaints of people taking statins is muscle pain. You may feel this pain as a soreness, tiredness or weakness in your muscles. The pain can be a mild discomfort, or it can be severe enough to make your daily activities difficult. Oddly enough, most randomized controlled studies of statins indicate that people taking statins develop muscle pain at the same rate as people taking placebo. But up to 29 percent of the people who start taking statins report muscle pain and many discontinue statins because of it. Many of these people do well when they are switched to a different variety of statin. Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage call Continue reading >>
Statins
Tweet Diabetes and statins have a complex relationship and are the focus of intense patient and healthcare debate. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs that are frequently used as part of diabetes care due to the knowledge that people with diabetes face a greater likelihood of heart attack and stroke. When used alongside good blood glucose control and other medication, the case for statins argues that they cut cholesterol levels and lower the risk of a cardiovascular event. Type 2 diabetes in particular is commonly linked with higher levels of cholesterol. How can I lower my risk of cardiovascular problems without taking statins? There are other ways to lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of stroke and heart attacks. These methods include stopping smoking, reducing your alcohol intake, taking regular physical activity and ensuring your diet is not over-reliant on processed foods. In some people, a change in lifestyle can make enough of a difference to cholesterol levels for you to not require cholesterol lowering treatment such as statins. If, however, your cholesterol levels remain above the target cholesterol levels and factors such as age and family history of heart disease and stroke show you to be at a high risk of heart disease, your doctor will likely advise statin treatment. What do statins do for people with diabetes? Statins affect the way the liver manufactures cholesterol, lowering levels of LDL cholesterol (the so called ‘bad’ cholesterol) and raising levels of HDL cholesterol (the so called ‘good’ cholesterol). The terms good and bad cholesterol are used because, whilst we do need both types of cholesterol, having too high levels LDl cholesterol is linked with higher risks of heart disease whereas h Continue reading >>
Link Found Between Statins And Common Disease
A new study has found a link between statins and one of the country’s most concerning diseases. Researchers from the University of Queensland studied women aged 75 and over and found that those taking statins were 33 per cent more likely to develop diabetes. Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia and causes a range of other health issues including, blindness, heart disease and increased risk of stroke. The study’s lead author Dr Mark Jones, of the UQ School of Public Health, said his team focussed on women over 75 because they had been largely ignored in past studies on statins and concluded there was a definite link between the medication and diabetes for this age group. “There is a consensus now that statins cause an increased risk of diabetes,” he told Starts at 60. “We focused on the older cohort of women from this study because this is a population that has generally not been included in clinical trials, but possibly has a high proportion being treated with statins.” Statins are commonly prescribed to lower Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but have been a point of contention for years. Previous studies have linked statins to increased risk of liver failure and skeletal muscle damage. Dr Jones says the side effects of statins often depend on the individual patient. “If the patient is at low risk of a cardiovascular event then the bad may potentially outweigh the good,” he said. “Conversely if the patient is at high risk of a cardiovascular event then the good may potentially outweigh the bad. “Clinical trials have shown that at a population level the benefits outweigh the harms on average for those patients who are able to continue taking the medication. “But for individual patients it may be difficult to predi Continue reading >>
Uq Probes Link Between Statins And T2
Researchers from the University of Queensland have found a link between statins and type 2 diabetes. Among women aged 75, the researchers found those taking statins were 33 per cent more likely to develop diabetes. The study's lead author Dr Mark Jones, of the UQ School of Public Health, said his team focussed on women aged over 75 because they were mostly ignored in past studies on statins. "There is a consensus now that statins cause an increased risk of diabetes," he said. "We focused on the older cohort of women from this study because this is a population that has generally not been included in clinical trials, but possibly has a high proportion being treated with statins." Statins are often prescribed to lower Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Previous studies have linked statins to increased risk of liver failure and skeletal muscle damage. The side effects of statins often depend on the individual patient. "If the patient is at low risk of a cardiovascular event then the bad may potentially outweigh the good," Dr Jones said. "Conversely if the patient is at high risk of a cardiovascular event then the good may potentially outweigh the bad. "Clinical trials have shown that at a population level the benefits outweigh the harms on average for those patients who are able to continue taking the medication. "But for individual patients it may be difficult to predict who will benefit and who may be harmed." He suggests that women in this age bracket who are taking statins should talk to their doctor about reducing their risk of diabetes. "[They should] ensure they have their blood glucose levels monitored and for those on higher doses, consider reducing the dose of statin they are taking." Diabetes Queensland keeps you up to date with all the latest news about Continue reading >>
Study Confirms Link Between Statin Drugs And Diabetes Risk
In a database study of nearly 26,000 beneficiaries of Tricare, the military health system, those taking statin drugs to control their cholesterol were 87 percent more likely to develop diabetes. The study, reported online April 28, 2015, in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, confirms past findings on the link between the widely prescribed drugs and diabetes risk. But it is among the first to show the connection in a relatively healthy group of people. The study included only people who at baseline were free of heart disease, diabetes, and other severe chronic disease. "In our study, statin use was associated with a significantly higher risk of new-onset diabetes, even in a very healthy population," says lead author Dr. Ishak Mansi. "The risk of diabetes with statins has been known, but up until now it was thought that this might be due to the fact that people who were prescribed statins had greater medical risks to begin with." Mansi is a physician-researcher with the VA North Texas Health System and the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. In the study, statin use was also associated with a "very high risk of diabetes complications," says Mansi. "This was never shown before." Among 3,351 pairs of similar patients--part of the overall study group--those patients on statins were 250 percent more likely than their non-statin-using counterparts to develop diabetes with complications. Statin users were also 14 percent more likely to become overweight or obese after being on the drugs. Mansi points out that other studies have arrived at a similar finding through different research methods. The study also found that the higher the dose of any of the statins, the greater the risk of diabetes, diabetes complications, and obesity. A key strength of Mansi's study wa Continue reading >>
Cholesterol-lowering Statin Linked To Heightened Diabetes Risk
A US study has linked the cholesterol-lowering drug statin to a heightened risk of type 2 diabetes among patients already deemed to be at high risk of the condition. Published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, the study looked at data from 3,234 overweight or obese participants taking part in the US Diabetes Prevention Programme Outcomes Study. After 10 years follow-up, a third of patients had started using statins. Researchers found that taking the drugs was associated with a 36% heightened risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, compared to those who had not been prescribed. "This study indicates that statins can increase the onset of diabetes in some people,” said Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation. "However, it does not mean that people should stop taking their statins as there is no doubt they save lives. Instead, the findings reinforce the need to regularly monitor the blood sugar levels of patients taking statins." In a separate study, British researchers found a “significant” number of patients prescribed statins only had a small chance of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) The report, published in the British Journal of General Practice, found a "significant over-treatment" of statin therapy with patients who had less than 10% chance of having a heart attack or stroke within 10 years. Tracking statin prescribing between 2000 and 2015, researchers from the University of Birmingham looked at 1.4 million patients aged over 40 across 248 GP practices across England and Wales. Some 217,860 patients started statin treatment during this time, with 151,788 recorded as having undergone the recommended risk assessment for CVD. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recomme Continue reading >>
Statins Linked To Raised Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may significantly increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study from Finland suggests. Researchers found that statins were associated with an almost 50 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even after adjusting for other factors. Statins appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in several ways, the researchers said. One is that the drugs can increase a person's insulin resistance, and the other is that the cholesterol-lowering drugs seem to impair the ability of the pancreas to secrete insulin, according to the report. Commenting on the study, Dr. Ronald Goldberg, director of the Lipid Disorder Clinic and associate director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami, said the researchers "show evidence that statins increased insulin resistance, and that the people who developed diabetes appeared to have less ability to respond to the insulin resistance by making more insulin." The study authors noted, however, that their research only found an association between statin use and diabetes risk. And since the study was limited to white men, it's not clear if the findings would apply to women or other racial groups. More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin, a hormone needed to process the sugars found in foods. To compensate, the body produces more insulin. Excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle are two important risk factors for type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Prior studies have indicated that statins may increase a person's risk of diabetes, the authors said in backgro Continue reading >>
The Confusing Link Between Statins And Diabetes
Statins. Everyone takes them, right? That’s why after I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2002, I didn’t question my doctor when he told me I’d probably need to start taking a statin. It made sense, since diabetes put me at a higher than normal risk for heart disease, and statins would dramatically lower that risk. My doctor also said that statins came with few adverse effects. He said, “It’s a pill you take at night. If it makes your muscles hurt, we’ll just switch you over to a different statin.” During my first year with diabetes I ate a low carb diet that included a lot of meat and eggs, so I wasn’t surprised when a blood test showed my cholesterol levels were high. The word statin was in the back of mind all of the time. But the idea of muscle pain frightened me. So I tried cutting out eggs, meat, and cheese. That had little effect on my cholesterol. My HDL cholesterol was always over 70 (which was considered good). But I couldn’t get my LDL under 120, no matter what I did or didn’t eat. My doctor was adamant that a person with diabetes should have an LDL of under 100. So while I didn’t question the need to lower my cholesterol, I still questioned the need to take a statin. I asked a few other doctors for their opinions and they all seemed to think it was crucial – perhaps as important for heart health as keeping my blood sugar levels in range. Statins lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting an enzyme that plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver. Understanding that is a lot easier for me than understanding what cholesterol actually is. If you get confused about HDL and LDL and non LDL, don’t worry. You’re not alone. For a basic run-down on cholesterol, I encourage readers to read the post What Is Cholesterol Continue reading >>
Can Cholesterol Drugs Cause Diabetes?
For every prescription drug that is developed and offers benefits to patients, there are those that also pose significant risks. Physicians must always weigh the benefits to risks in order to make informed decisions as to whether a particular medication should be used for treatment. Recent findings suggest statins, a class of prescription drug used to treat high cholesterol levels, increase the risk of developing diabetes. No one argues the fact that statins are able to prevent major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, in patients who have already experienced a previous cardiovascular episode and are very likely to experience another one. But there is cause for concern over the widespread use of statins in patients with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and the potential for these patients to eventually develop another disease, diabetes. What Do Statins Do Exactly? Elevated blood cholesterol levels, specifically LDL (the bad kind), have been shown to increase a person’s risk of heart attacks and stroke. By testing LDL levels in patients, a fairly accurate prediction can be made of future cardiac events. [1] As more research has been gathered on the role of LDL levels and heart disease, national guidelines have called for optimal LDL cholesterol levels to be lowered. Enter statins. Statins have the ability to block a critical step in the formation of LDL cholesterol within the liver, hence, the overall level of LDL in the blood drops. Because of this, statins are currently the most commonly-prescribed class of drug used to treat high cholesterol. Until very recently, statins were thought to be safe and well tolerated by patients, though some studies reported temporary memory loss that disappeared once medication was switched. Though there is al Continue reading >>
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If Statins Cause Diabetes, Why Should All Diabetics Take A Statin?
The guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology are crystal clear. People with diabetes (both type-1 and type-2) should all be on a statin-type cholesterol-lowering medicine! There are no exceptions to this recommendation. Any physician who strays from the path of prescribing a statin to his or her diabetic patients will presumably be practicing bad medicine. What makes this guideline so intriguing is the growing body of evidence suggesting that statins cause diabetes in a substantial number of people. So, the very drug that induces elevated blood sugars is required to treat the cardiovascular risks associated with the development of drug-induced type-2 diabetes. Does this seem as odd to you as it does to us? Do Statins Cause Diabetes? Do you doubt that statins cause* diabetes? Here is just the latest research on this connection (Dormuth et al, BMJ, online, May 29, 2014). Researchers analyzed data on nearly 140,000 patients in Canada, the UK and the U.S. All the individuals had been hospitalized either because of a heart attack, stent placement or some other serious cardiovascular procedure. Some were given low-potency statins while others were placed on high-potency statins such as rosuvastatin (Crestor) at a dose of 10 mg or greater, atorvastatin (Lipitor) at a dose of 20 mg or higher or simvastatin (Zocor) at a dose of 40 mg or higher. None of the people in the analysis had been diagnosed or treated for diabetes prior to being placed on a statin. Within two years of starting on the medicine 3,629 patients were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Those given high-potency statins were 15% more likely to end up with blood sugar elevations compared to patients prescribed lower-potency statins or lower doses. The lead author, Colin Do Continue reading >>
The Link Between Statin Drugs, Diabetes And Cholesterol
Focus on Health… Is it really type II diabetes or drug-induced hyperglycemia? Several studies prove statin drugs can raise blood sugar levels; Statin drugs send messages to your liver to STOP making any more cholesterol—so… the liver sends the sugar back OUT to your bloodstream and now you get diagnosed with type II diabetes. Key Points… Statins deplete vitamin D and reduce the body’s ability to create active vitamin D (calcitriol)— a substance that is eventually converted to its active hormone form; Statins reduce cholesterol — you must have cholesterol to make vitamin D; Statins also suppress your natural coenzyme Q10 — responsible for making energy in every cell in your body, primarily produced in your liver; 99 out of 100 people do NOT need a statin drug; Part of seeing past the drug propaganda is to understand that cholesterol is NOT the cause of heart disease. If your physician is urging you to check your total cholesterol, then you should know that this test will tell you virtually nothing about your risk of heart disease, unless it is 330 or higher. Scientifically Speaking… We all know how important antioxidants are to our health and longevity. We also know that diagnosed cases of type II diabetes are currently in epidemic proportions in the U.S. What do those facts have to do with this investigative report? Everything. Coenzyme Q10, for example, is not only a powerful antioxidant it also plays a major role in maintaining healthy blood glucose levels; when you’re prescribed a statin drug, it depletes your levels of CoQ10, hence losing the benefit of blood glucose regulation. Additionally, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that raising vitamin D serum levels from 25 to 75 nmol/L can improve insulin sens Continue reading >>
Take Statins? What You Need To Know About Diabetes Risk
Statin medications (statins) are drugs that help lower cholesterol levels in the blood to help prevent coronary heart disease for those at risk or who already have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease. Statins do carry certain risks that need balanced and managed through ongoing physician monitoring. A recent study highlights how important it is to manage diabetes risk factors when taking statins. New study examines statin-diabetes link A higher than previously documented risk of Type 2 diabetes with statin use was recently reported in the journal Diabetologia. Various past studies have found a zero to 36 percent higher risk of developing diabetes while taking statins. An average risk of developing diabetes on statins is reported at approximately 9% in meta-analyses. This latest study determined that men taking statins had a 46 percent higher risk of diabetes than those not on statins. Additionally, statin use was associated with a 24 percent reduction in insulin sensitivity and a 12 percent reduction in insulin secretion. Some previous studies evaluated fasting blood sugar, while this study applied more precise A1C and glucose tolerance tests. Michael Rocco, MD, Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Stress Testing, Section of Preventive Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic, reviewed the findings (he did not participate in the research). Dr. Rocco noted that the people who developed diabetes while taking statins were older, had a higher Body Mass Index (BMI), and a much higher incidence of cardiovascular disease. “It does look like people who have increased incidence of Type 2 diabetes on statins tend to be those already at highest risk for diabetes development,” says Dr. Rocco. Who should be concerned The following individuals should be extra diligent Continue reading >>
