Concerning new research suggests statins could increase the risk of diabetes by as much as 46 percent.

Past findings have pointed to a link between statins and an increased risk of diabetes, but these studies have tended to have significant limitations, a press release reported. 

In this new study, researchers looked at diabetes onset 8,749 originally non-diabetic men in a six-year follow-up of the population-based Metabolic Syndrome in Men (METSIM) study; they also monitored changes in insulin resistance and insulin secretion. The men included in the study were between the ages of 45 and 73. Over the course of the follow-up period, there were 625 cases of diabetes.

After adjusting for factors such as "age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, family history of diabetes, and beta-blocker and diuretic treatment," the researchers determined those taking statins had a 46 percent higher risk of developing diabetes. More specifically, treatment with high-dose simvastatin was associated with a 44 percent increase in diabetes risk, while low-dose simvastatin increased the risk by 28 percent; high-dose atorvastatin proved to increase diabetes risk by 37 percent.

"The association of statin use with increased risk of developing diabetes is most likely directly related to statins decreasing both insulin sensitivity and secretion," the researchers said.

The researchers noted that while their study was of a reliable size, it was limited to Caucasian men, and the implications the findings have for women and individuals of other ethnicities still needs to be investigated.

"Statin therapy was associated with a 46 [percent] increased risk of type 2 diabetes after adjustment for confounding factors, suggesting a higher risk of diabetes in the general population than previously reported," the researchers concluded.

The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Diabetologia.