According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Scottish researchers found that patients taking high doses of statins had an increased risk of developing diabetes and a lower risk of heart complication compared to those who take smaller amounts of the drugs. The study, which examined 5 major clinical trials that included 32,752 non-diabetic patients taking cholesterol-lowering medications (statins) for over 4.9 years, further supported similar data published by the same researchers just last year.
Interestingly, given the findings, the group of researchers did not warn against using high-dose treatment regimens. Instead, the group warned physicians to be vigilant when prescribing the drugs, to pay close attention to patients showing early signs of diabetes and to treat them accordingly.
Common cholesterol-lowering statins include: Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, Vytorin, Mevacor and Pravachol.
