Comprehensive Approaches to the Effect of Statins on Glucose Homeostasis
Dalya Mohammed, Hani Mhedi Almukhtar · Al-Mağallaẗ al-ʻirāqiyyaẗ li-l-ṣaydalaẗ · 2025
Background: Disturbance in glucose tolerance is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Statins are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, but their potential effects on glucose tolerance and induction of type 2 diabetes have drawn attention. Aim: This review highlights the connection between statin medications and glucose homeostasis. Methods: An extensive literature search has been conducted on various electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Conclusions: Different mechanisms are hypothesized and could be responsible for this pleiotropic effect of statins on glucose homeostasis. Many clinical trials and meta-analyses have reported a significant controversy regarding statins-induced glucose tolerance/intolerance depending on the type of statin and dosage . This urges the researchers to perform more studies to clarify this pleiotropic effect for each statin. Although the present knowledge regarding the impact of statins on glycemic index has been improved, several molecular/cellular aspects are yet to be determined.