Taking statins can slightly raise your chance of getting type 2 diabetes, especially if you’re already at risk.

Blocking the HMGCR enzyme — whether by statin drugs or your genes — makes you about 11–12% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and this isn’t because the drugs lower cholesterol.

Even though statins make you gain a little weight, that tiny gain can’t explain why you’re 11% more likely to get diabetes — something else about blocking HMGCR is making your body worse at handling sugar.

Even high-dose statins don’t make you gain more weight than low-dose ones — but they still raise your diabetes risk more — meaning weight gain isn’t the reason higher doses are riskier.

People with a gene version that blocks HMGCR have slightly higher blood sugar and insulin levels — meaning their bodies are less efficient at managing sugar, even before they become diabetic.

Taking statins might slightly raise your chances of getting type 2 diabetes, but they do a much better job of preventing heart attacks and strokes — especially if you're already at high risk.