Lipitor Raises Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs like Crestor and Lipitor are very popular for reducing the levels of dangerous blood fats like LDL cholesterol. This seems to reduce the probability of having a heart attack due to clogged arteries.
Questions have been raised, however, about some of the other effects of these medicines. A new study of data from three clinical trials confirms that people taking Lipitor are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This likelihood is especially strong among people with other predictors for diabetes: high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and excess pounds.
In one trial, nearly half the participants with these characteristics developed diabetes while taking Lipitor. One of five volunteers on placebo with these traits was diagnosed with diabetes.
The researchers recommend that people without heart disease should use diet and exercise instead of drugs to lower cholesterol, if possible. They also believe that doctors should monitor their patients on Lipitor to detect early warning signs of diabetes. Despite this problem, the investigators emphasize that people with heart disease benefit from the drug.
[Journal of the American College of Cardiology, April 5, 2011]