A review of statin use in the UK by researchers at Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, based at Glasgow University, has found that people who take the cholesterol-lowering drugs may have a 9 per cent increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

The Daily Mail reports that as many as 6 million people in the UK take statins daily – and doctors sometimes prescribe the drugs as a precaution against developing high cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease.

However, the researchers – led by Professor Naveed Sattar and Dr David Preiss – say that healthy people should not be prescribed the drugs because of the increased risk of developing diabetes.

It is estimated that statins save around 10,000 lives in the UK every year by helping lower levels of 'bad' cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, also known as LDL). The team reviewed the results 13 trials into statins, involving 91,000 patients.

Dr Preiss said the findings did not indicate the reason why there was an increased risk of diabetes, but out of 255 patients taking the drugs for a period of four years, one patient might develop the condition – and the risk was found to be higher in those aged over 60. There was no clear indication whether diabetes patients who took statins might experience a worsening of their diabetes.

However, taking statins was found to have prevented five major coronary events, such as heart disease or a fatal heart attack, among every 255 patients in the study group.

Dr Preiss said that the ‘take-home message for patients’ was that the increased risk was ‘very slight’ – and that patients at risk of heart attack should not stop taking statins ‘because the benefits significantly outweigh the risks’.

However, he admitted that the findings did have implications for extending routine use of the drug.

Professor Peter Weissberg – medical director at the British Heart Foundation – said that those with heart disease, or who had a high risk of developing it, should continue to take statins, as the benefits for them far outweighed the small risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

Prof Weissberg warned, however, that those at low risk of heart disease who might be ‘tempted’ to take statins as a precaution should be aware of the risk of developing diabetes.

The charity Diabetes UK advised that the findings of the research ‘should on no account’ be taken as a reason ‘for those over 60 at high risk of heart disease to stop taking statins’.

Statins are currently prescribed to those with a significant risk of having a heart attack or stroke. However, in the last year some experts have said that all those over the age of 50 should receive the drugs.

The findings of the research are published in the journal ‘The Lancet’.

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