Assessing the Link Between Statins and Insulin Intolerance: A Systematic Review

There has been mixed and inconclusive evidence regarding the relationship between statin usage and insulin intolerance. This systematic review aims to comprehensively explore the link between the use of statins and insulin intolerance. We systematically searched MEDLINE, PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), and Google Scholar databases for online English articles with full text. We excluded conference proceedings, editorials, commentaries, preclinical studies, abstracts, and preprints. The search across databases initially identified 667 articles. After eliminating duplicates and analyzing the remaining articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 articles were selected. The included studies had a total of 46,728,889 participants. The findings suggest that the use of statins is associated with a decrease in insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance. This systematic review provides evidence that the use of statins may have an adverse effect on insulin sensitivity and increase insulin resistance. These findings may have important clinical implications for individuals on statin therapy, especially those at risk of developing diabetes.