29 Apr Recent Statin Users Likely to Eat More and Gain Weight
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Takehiro Sugiyama, MD, MSHS, PhD
Project Director, Diabetes Policy Planning Office
Management and Planning Bureau
Fellow, Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism
National Center for Global Health and Medicine
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Sugiyama: In the US nationally representative sample from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2010, we found that statin users in 2009-2010 eat 9.6% more calories and 14.4% more fat than statin users in 1999-2000. These increases were not observed in statin non-users; the trends of caloric and fat intake were statistically different between statin users and non-users. In 1999-2000, caloric and fat intake was significantly less for statin users compared with non-users, but the difference between the groups because smaller as time went by and there was no statistical difference in 2009-2010. Body mass index increased more rapidly for statin users compared to non-users.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Sugiyama: We actually predicted these results because these results were compatible with our hypotheses that patients who started statin treatment were likely to loosen their dietary control because they got to recognize the potency of the medication, and that physicians were more likely to start prescribing statins for those who cannot control their diet and weight. Our study results supported our hypotheses.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Sugiyama: Whatever the mechanisms, recent statin users are more likely to eat more and gain weight. Dietary modification may need to be reemphasized for statin users.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Sugiyama: A long-term cohort study may disentangle the mechanism of the observed different trends: whether statin users were starting to eat more and gain weight in parallel with their statin therapy, or newly-prescribed statin users were more likely to eat and weigh more. The evidence of dietary therapy in addition to statin therapy in terms of cardiovascular risk reduction may need to be created.
Citation:
Last Updated on April 29, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD