While statins might slightly increase the chance of getting diabetes, that tiny risk is far outweighed by the big drop in heart attacks and strokes.
Scientific Claim
The small increased risk of diabetes diagnosis associated with statin therapy (approximately 0.1% per year) is more than 50 times smaller than the absolute reduction in major vascular events per 1.0 mmol/L LDL reduction in low-risk individuals.
Original Statement
“The observed incidence of diabetes recorded in the primary prevention trials was about 5% over 5 years, so the absolute excess was about 0.1% per year... Such an effect is more than 50-times smaller than the absolute benefit observed with statin therapy in such individuals (about 11 fewer major vascular events per 1000 treated over 5 years per 1.0 mmol/L reduction in LDL cholesterol).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The study uses individual participant data to calculate absolute risks and compares them directly. The conclusion is supported by the data and appropriately framed as a quantitative comparison.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The effects of lowering LDL cholesterol with statin therapy in people at low risk of vascular disease: meta-analysis of individual data from 27 randomised trials
The study shows that statins greatly reduce heart attacks and strokes in low-risk people, and while they slightly raise diabetes risk, the heart benefits are much bigger — so the claim that the benefit far outweighs the risk is still supported.