Statins are the first recommended drug for dyslipidemia (hyperlipidemia) patients. This is because it effectively lowers LDL cholesterol, which is called ‘bad cholesterol’, with relatively few side effects.
Doubling the statin dose typically reduces LDL cholesterol levels by 6%. When a patient with hypertriglyceridemia with a lot of triglycerides in the blood takes a statin, the triglyceride levels are reduced by 22-45%. HDL cholesterol, also known as ‘good cholesterol’, is known to increase by 5-10%. With these effects, administration of statins can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and stroke (cerebral infarction) and reduce mortality.
However, it is not without side effects. Taking statins increases your risk of developing diabetes. This was revealed through the study of JUPITER (Justification for Use of statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) published in the medical journal Lancet in 2008.
In the study, 91,140 non-diabetic subjects were divided into two groups and administered a statin and a placebo, respectively. As a result of follow-up for an average of 1.9 years, 270 patients (3.0%) in the statin-treated group were newly diagnosed with diabetes. In the placebo group, a lower number, 216 (2.4%) were diagnosed. The incidence of diabetes in the statin-administered group was 26% higher than that of the control group.
A meta-analysis of several studies found that administration of statins increased the risk of diabetes by an average of 9 to 13%. Also, the higher the dose of the statin, the higher the risk of developing diabetes. However, experts say that the effect of preventing cardiovascular disease and death is far greater than these side effects of statins. Therefore, even if statins slightly increase the risk of developing diabetes, we recommend that you continue to take them.
New patients who did not have diabetes due to taking statins usually had pre-diabetes before taking statins. Therefore, it is advisable to check your fasting blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin before taking a statin to check your risk of diabetes. In addition, while taking statins, it is necessary to reduce the possibility of progressing to diabetes by improving overall lifestyle habits such as diet management and exercise.
Even patients who develop diabetes following taking statins, it is better to continue taking them while correcting their lifestyle rather than stopping taking statins. In fact, a meta-analysis of 14 studies that looked at the effects of taking statins in diabetic patients showed that for every 40 mg/dL decrease in LDL cholesterol following taking a statin, all-cause mortality was 9%, and major cardiovascular events were reduced by 9%. The risk was reduced by 21%.