I read that recently and it sure does make me wonder, I did not become diabetic till a couple of years after I started taking statins, my husband has been taking statins also and is now pre diabetic there is absolutely no history of it in his family and all of his family are thin, he has put on a bit of weight as he got older but he was very thin.

We just never know!

alisande-
Even if there is a somewhat increased risk, it's not necessarily a reason to avoid statins. It's something people need to discuss with their doctors. After all, if you should be taking statins due to high cholesterol, what you are looking at is this choice: Do I want to risk a heart attack or stroke to avoid the possibility that my statin might raise my risk of diabetes?

I agree with kudzu9.......I hate statins but I take them because I feel the need to try and avoid the risks. There are risks with them but their is a serious history of cholesterol in my family. Talk to your doctor.

I, too take statins.

Women in my family have a history of heart disease and strokes (and not at all that great an age--my grandmother died of a stroke at age 54). I've been taking statins for 15-20 years now. I go for bloodwork every year, as my dr. orders and things are fine. To me? That's one of those trade-offs that's worth it. I don't want to die young from a stroke. Both my mother and aunt were diagnosed with high cholesterol and high BP and got on the medication early--mom was 2 months shy of 86 when she died; aunt lived to age 87. By then, both had slightly higher sugar levels, both were supposed to watch their diets, neither did--and neither seemed to have any real diabetic symptoms/issues.

It's always good to discuss these things with your dr. BUT it's each individual patient's choice whether the risks are worth it or not for them. Personally? I'd rather deal with diabetes--which is often manageable--than die or become disabled from a severe stroke.

I would not want to stop taking statins just because there was a slight risk of me getting diabetes. My dad had his first heart attack at 55 and died at 60 from a massive heart attack.

Darned if you do and darned if you don't.

Last year Terry Gross ("Fresh Air") interviewed a married pair of physicians who take different approaches to medical treatment. The husband has a lot more confidence in prescription meds, etc., than does his wife. But when his cholesterol needed to come down he was very reluctant to take a statin--not because of any risk of diabetes (unknown at that point), but because he saw firsthand some cases of serious, crippling (and permanent) muscle damage from these drugs.

He radically changed his diet (I don't recall if he undertook any exercise) and got his cholesterol down some, but not enough. In the end he agreed to take a statin, but only at a fraction of the usual dose. This worked for him.

My maternal grandmother was only in her forties when she died of a heart attack. One of my female cousins was only 49. My paternal grandfather was 61. Fortunately, like my dad, I've been able to control my own naturally high cholesterol with strict avoidance of saturated fats. In addition, my triglycerides shoot up to dangerous levels if I don't control carbs. (My father, lover of Halloween candy, did not have this problem.)

In my case, I can't blame statins. My diabetes roared onto the scene 12 years before I took my first statin. And I do not know how long I was diabetic before it was diagnosed.

Azzalea pretty much summed up my thoughts. This piece of info might better be described as another risk to consider in deciding whether or not to take statins. For me, it isn't a reason not to take them.

Statins have pretty much ruined my health and I now do a pretty good job of maintaining fairly decent numbers by taking two or three triple strength fish oil capsules a day. My physician recommended this course of treatment and along with lots of fiber rich foods, and other dietary changes, I'm on the right track.

My doctor and I go round and round on this subject..I do take a statin for high cholesterol but I felt it also made my joints ache, (or course doc said, no)...He did say because of my history of stroke and heart problems, I needed to have my numbers pretty low so he agreed, if my blood work is good, I can take the meds, every other day.....So far, numbers are good and aches have gone away...I can't take fish oil and have tried diets but we think mine might be herritary.....

Has anyone tried eliminating all meat/dairy for an extended time? I'd be curious if removing all dietary sources of cholesterol helps blood levels since only animal products have it.

I know you can find studies regarding diet/health and whether it matters or not on all ends of the spectrum, but it makes sense to me to stop eating cholesterol if your body has too much of it.

Eliminating meat/dairy can help some people. In others it makes little or no difference. The liver manufactures cholesterol continuously, and a certain amount is necessary for good health. Even if you eliminated all food sources of cholesterol, it might not have a noticeable impact. But it can't hurt to try as long as you make sure that the other food you are eating is providing all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

I just have to chime in here~ I also cold not tolerate statins...they just about made me a cripple~~ My cholestrol was elevated when I went for my physical at my
cardiologist....and he said to stop taking them, and in their place take RED YEAST RICE...and 4,000 mg of Fish Oil...and it would do just as much good and not the side effects. If you "burp" that much fish oil, put the tablets in the freezer and they will disolve in your stomach. He said he would always rather give something natural than to have someone take a "drug".

Check with your personal doctor first, but his cardiologist is well known in our region and I have also heard this on Dr. Oz.

I tried eliminating all meat and dairy for years, but my cholesterol was still around 280. I lowered it 40 points by adding salmon, oatmeal and walnuts to my diet, but that wasn't good enough. My doctor said fish oil wouldn't help my particular numbers. A statin brought my numbers down to a barely acceptable level.

Diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia run rampant in my family, and I inherited them all. I have had hypertension since I was in my 20s. I've never been overweight, but I have diabetes.

I tried taking statins back in the late '90s. The first Rx I took one pill & woke up the next morning unable to open my mouth w/o excruciating pain (very scarey). The 2nd Rx made me feel sick all the time. Thank goodness my HDL is high. My cholesterol total came down 18 points w/in the last year and I wonder if that's because I take 1,000 mg of Vitamin D each day. I need to try to lower it a LOT more! But I'll never take another stain again.