A healthy heart means controlling your cholesterol. But certain statins, medications used to lower cholesterol levels, may prove an additional health concern. According to a study involving nearly 500,000 Ontario, Canada residents, several frequently prescribed statins may increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels because their bodies don’t make or properly use insulin, a polypeptide hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism of glucose and other nutrients. Research suggests that certain statins can impair insulin secretion and inhibit insulin release. Cholesterol patients at the highest risk are those taking atorvastatin (brand name Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor), the new study showed. Research suggests that patients taking Lipitor stood a 22 percent greater risk for developing new-onset diabetes, followed by Crestor users at 18 percent, and Zocor takers at 10 percent.
The study, which followed men and women in their 60s as they took statins over a period of five years, also found that certain brands including Pravastatin (Pravachol), have no negative effect on diabetes risks, and may even prove beneficial to patients. Fluvastatin (Lescol) was associated with a five-percent decreased risk of diabetes and lovastatin (Mevacor) a one-percent decreased risk. In a previous study, Pravachol was linked to a 30 percent lower risk, while Crestor was associated with a 27-percent higher risk of diabetes.
While the latest study does suggest a link between taking certain statins and a heightened risk of developing diabetes, it does not necessarily confirm an absolute cause-and-effect relationship. So, patients should not automatically stop taking their prescribed statins. However, researchers strongly urge physicians to more carefully and thoroughly weigh the risks and benefits of prescribing these medications for their patients. And if you are being treated for cholesterol, we here at Todd E. Copleand & Associates urge you to do your own research and talk pointedly with your physician about potential effects, positive and negative, of taking prescribed statins.
If you believe that taking statins may have negatively affected your health, contact one of our experienced dangerous drug attorneys in Orlando at 407-999-8995 or in Kissimmee at 407-847-7277.
