Statins side effects: Statins may cause weight gain indirectly, research suggests
Statins are a group of medicines that can help lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. LDL cholesterol sticks to the inside of your artery walls – a mechanism that can raise your risk of heart disease. The effects of taking statins are not entirely positive, however.
The findings suggest that, when people observe a reduction in their cholesterol levels, they neglect their dietary habits.
The study of almost 28,000 adults in the US found that over a ten-year period those taking statins had an unhealthier diet and more weight gain.
Their calorie intake was 10 per cent higher in 2010 than in 2000 and fat consumption went up 14.4 per cent, while it stayed the same for non-statin users.
The body mass index (BMI) – a measure of a person’s weight against their height – increased 1.3 among statin users, three times as much as the gain of 0.4 among non-statin users.
