The Study
Statins are associated with increased insulin resistance and secretion
This study watched what happened to people's bodies after they started taking a medicine called atorvastatin. It saw that their insulin resistance and insulin levels went up, but it didn't compare them to people who didn't take the medicine. So we can't say the medicine caused those changes — just that they happened at the same time.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Statins lower bad cholesterol but may also make your body less sensitive to insulin, so your pancreas has to work harder to keep blood sugar normal.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 553 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means the body has to produce more insulin to do the same job, which can wear out insulin-producing cells over time — potentially leading to type 2 diabetes in some people.
- 2After 10 weeks of taking 40 mg of atorvastatin daily, insulin resistance went up by 8% and insulin secretion went up by 9%, even though people didn't gain weight.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology
Year
2021
Authors
F. Abbasi, C. Lamendola, Chelsea S. Harris, Vander Harris, M-S. Tsai, Pragya Tripathi, Fakhar Abbas, Gerald Reaven, P. Reaven, M. Snyder, S. Kim, J. Knowles
Related Content
Claims (6)
Statins do not correct the core metabolic problems, persistent inflammation, or insulin resistance that cause cardiovascular disease.
In adults without diabetes, taking atorvastatin 40 mg daily for 10 weeks increases insulin secretion regardless of initial glucose levels, and increases insulin resistance in those with normal glucose tolerance but not in those with prediabetes.
In adults without diabetes or heart disease, taking 40 mg of atorvastatin daily for 10 weeks is linked to an 8% higher measure of insulin resistance and a 9% higher measure of insulin secretion.
In adults without diabetes, taking atorvastatin 40 mg daily for 10 weeks causes a larger increase in insulin resistance in people who started with lower insulin resistance than in those who started with higher insulin resistance.
In adults without diabetes, taking atorvastatin 40 mg daily for 10 weeks leads to higher insulin secretion alongside higher insulin resistance, reflecting a biological adjustment to maintain normal blood glucose levels.
In adults without diabetes, taking atorvastatin 40 mg daily for 10 weeks increases insulin resistance and insulin secretion without changing body weight, and this change is not due to changes in body fat.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.