Statin Treatment Linked to Worse Glucose Homeostasis in Older Adults

A study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society has associated statin treatment with higher levels of insulin resistance, reports Endocrinology Advisor . Study participants included 609 individuals 71 years old on average, of whom 152 were statin users and 457 were not. Statin users exhibited higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels than nonusers, as well as significantly higher abdominal aortic calcification scores. However, the linkage between statin use and higher abdominal aortic calcification lost significance when stratified by propensity score. When examining statins effect's based on the hydrophilicity or lipophilicity of the particular drug, HOMA-IR was higher in participants receiving hydrophilic and lipophilic statins. Seventy-three percent of hydrophilic statin users in this cohort were receiving rosuvastatin, which has been tied to the highest risk for type 2 diabetes versus other statins. The investigators concluded that statins "may have unintended consequences related to glucose homeostasis that could be relevant in healthy aging. In those individuals with risk factors for diabetes, consideration for choosing non-lipophilic statins and avoidance of rosuvastatin and lipophilic statins may provide the intended cardiovascular protection without the increased incidence of insulin resistance."