Statins, blood glucose, . . . and other stories
BMJ 2024; 385 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1230 (Published 13 June 2024) Cite this as: BMJ 2024;385:q1230
Statins and diabetes
A meta-analysis by the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration using individual level data from 23 trials confirms that statin therapy increases the risk of diabetes. The explanation is that statins cause a small dose dependent upward shift in blood glucose levels. In people with baseline glycaemic markers that are close to the diagnostic threshold for diabetes, this is enough to tip them over the edge. However, any adverse effects from this small rise in glucose have already been accounted for in the estimates of reduced cardiovascular risk seen in these statin trials. So it’s almost certainly nothing to worry about (Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00040-8).
Caffeine and Parkinson’s disease
Several prospective studies have linked coffee …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £184 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£50 / $60/ €56 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.