Cholesterol-lowering drugs linked to diabetes

Australians who are on cholesterol-lowering medication may soon be advised to avoid the drugs as more evidence shows they could increase risks of diabetes and dementia, local media reported on Thursday. Around two million Australians are believed to be taking the most popular class of cholesterol-lowing drugs, called statins, to reduce their risk of heart disease. But US regulators have announced statins should carry warnings that they could increase the risk of diabetes and memory impairment. David Le Couteur, the President of the Australian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists, has told Fairfax Media that Australia had one of the highest rates of statin use in the world, and that people who were not at high risk of heart disease should reconsider using them.