Memorandum

Study links statin use to increased risk of type 2 diabetes – March 11, 2015

A new study published in Diabetologia found a demographically-adjusted 46% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes associated with statin use, likely due to reduced insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. The study tracked 8,749 men without diabetes between the ages of 45-73 in a six year follow-up of the Metabolic Syndrome in Men (METSIM) study in Finland, which gathered a host of CVD risk- and obesity-related data. As we understand from our advisors, while statin use was linked with significant  increases in fasting and postprandial glucose, the changes were relatively small, and those diagnosed with diabetes (both the statin and non-statin groups) were already fairly close to the threshold for diagnosis at baseline (baseline A1c = 6%).