Study: Statins could increase the risk of diabetes

Statins can lower cholesterol, but their other health effects may not be so positive. A study published in the journal Diabetologia found that the drugs could increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes in white men by as much as 46 percent.

Researchers in Finland found that after six years, white men who were prescribed statins had a 46 percent higher risk of developing diabetes than those not taking statins. The statins made patients resistant to insulin, and the patients worst affected were the ones who started the study with the lowest blood glucose levels.

"It's a good news-bad news scenario," Dr. Robert Eckel, the former president of the American Heart Association and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado's School of Medicine, told Time, adding that the benefits of the drug still outweigh the health risks.

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