Statin Drugs Linked to Rise in Diabetes

As this article explains (towards the end), statin drugs also significantly reduce levels of vitamin D and Coenzyme Q10 in the body. These are both important nutrients for heart disease. To me, it doesn't make sense to treat one supposed indicator of heart disease risk with something that actually increases your risk of heart disease in the long run. I say 'supposed' because cholesterol levels are not actually a good indicator of heart disease risk, and low cholesterol is more dangerous overall that high cholesterol.

Laurel Blair, NTP
www.dynamicbalancenutrition.com

https://healthimpactnews.com/2011/st...e-in-diabetes/

Excerpt:

"Several studies have indicated that statins can cause high blood sugar, which can be mistaken for “diabetes.” For example, researchers in Glasgow, Scotland conducted a meta analysis, known as the JUPITER trial, which took into account 13 statin trials that each included 1,000 patients or more. The participants were followed for over than a year. The conclusion was there was indeed an increase, albeit small, in the development of Type 2 diabetes.

It should be considered that some of the patients in this meta analysis already had symptoms of insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, so it could be said that they were on their way to diabetes anyway.

Now consider another meta-analysis published in the Lancet. Here, the researchers reviewed randomized controlled trials beginning in 1994 and ending in 2009, for a total of 91,140 participants who took either a statin or a placebo.

They found that people treated with statin drugs showed a nine percent increase for diabetes. They did not evaluate other factors however, which would be considered pre-diabetes, so I suspect their nine percent number to be on the low side.

Insulin is a pancreatic hormone that reduces blood sugar. You want some insulin to maintain blood glucose levels, but too much of it is bad—it’s an inflammatory compound in your body when it is elevated. And guess what? The use of statin drugs appears to INCREASE your insulin levels! High insulin is extremely harmful to your health."