Statins Warning: Cholesterol-lowering drug found to raise risk of diabetes by 50 per cent in older women

‘Elderly women who take statins have an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes, an Australian study found. Researchers at the University of Queensland examined more than 8,000 elderly female pensioners and found that those who took the cholesterol-lowering drug had a 33% increased risk of diabetes. The experts also found that taking higher doses of statins further elevated the increased risk to more than 50%.
“Statins are highly prescribed in this age group but there are very few clinical trials looking at their effects on older women. What is most concerning was we found a ‘dose effect’ where the risk of diabetes increased as the dosage of statins increased. Over the ten years of the study most of the women progressed to higher doses of statins. Those elderly women taking statins should be carefully and regularly monitored for increased blood glucose,” said Dr. Mark Jones of the University of Queensland.’
Read more: Statins Warning: Cholesterol-lowering drug found to raise risk of diabetes by 50 per cent in older women