Risk of diabetes with statins

[Amity Island]

Some statins have been shown to slightly increase your risk of diabetes — but that shouldn’t keep you from taking the medication you need.

Do Statins Cause Diabetes?

Some statin medications come with warnings about increasing your risk for high blood sugar and diabetes. Who’s at risk? And what should you do about it? Find out.

health.clevelandclinic.org

 

[JITR]

On this topic, see also:

Atorvastatin Targets the Islet Mevalonate Pathway to Dysregulate mTOR Signaling and Reduce β-Cell Functional Mass​

'Statins are cholesterol-lowering agents that increase the incidence of diabetes and impair glucose tolerance via their detrimental effects on nonhepatic tissues, such as pancreatic islets [beta cells], but the underlying mechanism has not been determined'.

Published: 2019. Anyone seen more recent reports on effect of statins on beta-cells in the pancreas?

I suspect a better remedy, if you can do it, is to get your HbA1c down into the 30s by diet and exercise.

 

[Jasmin2000]

On this topic, see also:

Atorvastatin Targets the Islet Mevalonate Pathway to Dysregulate mTOR Signaling and Reduce β-Cell Functional Mass Atorvastatin Targets the Islet Mevalonate Pathway to Dysregulate mTOR Signaling and Reduce β-Cell Functional Mass​

'Statins are cholesterol-lowering agents that increase the incidence of diabetes and impair glucose tolerance via their detrimental effects on nonhepatic tissues, such as pancreatic islets [beta cells], but the underlying mechanism has not been determined'.

Published: 2019. Anyone seen more recent reports on effect of statins on beta-cells in the pancreas?

I suspect a better remedy, if you can do it, is to get your HbA1c down into the 30s by diet and exercise.

Interesting article but the results refer to mice and cell cultures, neither of which accurately reflect human metabolism. Clinical studies (humans) do indeed show that statins may raise BG in many sub-populations, including non-diabetics and diabetics but the incidence is very low and is reversible, so not due to loss of beta-cells. There are a number of other side-effects, such as kidney damage, with similarly low incidence. So do we take them or not?

NHS and NICE recommend and pay for statins for diabetics on a purely pharmacoeconomic basis - if we treat everyone then enough people will avoid cardiovascular disease to make it financially beneficial for the health service (this conclusion is supported by metastudies of many thousands of patients across all backgrounds). But it ignores everyone on a case-by-case basis and hence, some people will suffer more (high BG, other side-effects), so they leave the decision to you. My BG went up on Atorvastatin and I now bolus for it - makes life a bit trickier, but my blood cholesterols are very good now.

Fully agree with more dietary control and exercise, but the majority of folk won't follow this advice and are looking for a quick fix and another pizza. Everyone is different.

 

[JITR]

@Jasmin2000. I am happy to accept your well informed comments. Thank you.

My interest in statins is to understand why I should start taking them again, or not. Now that my cholesterol and HbAic have come down to normal naturally by diet, I'll pass on medications that may dysregulate my metabolic pathways again.

 

[Jasmin2000]

@Jasmin2000. I am happy to accept your well informed comments. Thank you.

My interest in statins is to understand why I should start taking them again, or not. Now that my cholesterol and HbAic have come down to normal naturally by diet, I'll pass on medications that may dysregulate my metabolic pathways again.

Before I forget, congrats on getting your values down! So if you're bloods and A1c are in the range recommended for T2 then you probably don't need statins, but I'm not giving any medical advice and you should speak to your GP/endo.

Ask them what reason they give if your values are good, and you may hear that statins keep your bloods in a healthy range and reduce risk of heart disease, or they do other things to reduce cardiovascular (CV) risk, but it's your decision. There are a number of publications that have reviewed this area, such as this paper, which concludes "not all diabetic patients should be routinely treated with statin therapy."

 

[JITR]

T

There are a number of publications that have reviewed this area, such as this paper, which concludes "not all diabetic patients should be routinely treated with statin therapy."

This link should work (no %20s) not all diabetic patients should be routinely treated with statin therapy

Ask what reason they give if your values are good, and you may hear that statins keep your bloods in a healthy range and reduce risk of heart disease, or they do other things to reduce cardiovascular (CV) risk, but it's your decision. There are a number of publications that have reviewed this area, such as this paper, which concludes "not all diabetic patients should be routinely treated with statin therapy."

I did. After a fresh test last month, one GP marked my record NFA (no further action). This month another partner marked it Atorvastatin Qrisk 40. I'm too old to ecape the statistical net.

 

[rebrascora]

I did. After a fresh test last month, one GP marked my record NFA (no further action). This month another partner marked it Atorvastatin Qrisk 40. I'm too old to ecape the statistical net.

I do wonder if there is some loss of sight of the fact that we are all going to die sooner or later and as we get older, that becomes sooner. The Q risk is for the next 10 years I believe so totally understandable that it will be 40% and since you haven't succumbed to anything else fatal so far, a CVD event would probably statistically become the more likely cause when it happens.... Not that I am by any means writing you off and if you can keep going to 120 or whatever, then best of luck to you. My last cholesterol was 4.5 and it has been around that for the past 5 years so I am currently refusing statins, but I am now offered them annually and my QRisk of course goes up each year. 🙄

 

[SB2015]

I have taken statins since my diagnosis with no side effects apart from reducing my cholesterol a lot. Happy to continue taking them.