Administering ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) can stave off the tendency of statins to induce glucose intolerance and diabetes, a study by a group of researchers in China has found.
Statins are prescribed to people with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. They work by blocking the activity of an enzyme involved in the metabolic pathway that produces LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol. Statins are on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines and among the most sold drugs worldwide.
However, many studies have found statins could increase the risk of developing diabetes. “It has been known for a few years now that statins can induce glucose intolerance and even frank diabetes in some people,” Dr. V. Mohan, chairman of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai, told The Hindu.
