Can Statins Cause Weight Gain? A Cardiologist Explains the Real Link Between Cholesterol Pills and Weight
A preventive cardiologist explains the connection between your cholesterol medication and numbers on the scale—plus 5 ways to stay healthy
Every single day, 47 million Americans take medication to lower their “bad” LDL cholesterol in an effort to reduce their risk of heart disease. For the vast majority of people, that medication is a statin (like pravastatin, simvastatin, atorvastatin or rosuvastatin). While effective, statins can come with some bothersome side effects such as muscle aches and brain fog. But can statins also cause weight gain?
Here, a cardiologist explains the relationship between statins and weight, plus what you can do to avoid gaining weight while taking statins for your heart.
What are statins and how do they work?
“Statins are drugs that decrease the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver. By doing this, the body removes more cholesterol from the bloodstream, lowering cholesterol levels,” explains Tracy Paeschke, MD, a preventive cardiologist at Heart Health Prevention and Wellness in Monument, Colorado. “Statins also decrease inflammation in cholesterol plaques, making them more stable and less likely to rupture and cause sudden events like a heart attack or stroke.”
Woman's World Answers
According to a 2024 review in Pharmaceutics, statin medications have been shown to lower levels of bad cholesterol, reduce inflammation, improve blood vessel function, protect against coronary artery disease, prevent stroke, improve outcomes after a heart attack and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and events. (Discover more ways to prevent a heart attack.)
Statins and weight gain: what the clinical trials say
While the side effects of statins can vary from person to person, many wonder if the meds can trigger weight gain. The short answer: Statins can contribute to weight gain, but it’s not very common, says Dr. Paeschke. She adds that in clinical trials, weight gain noted from statin use was incredibly minor, only about half a pound over four years.
Still, while significant weight gain is not a direct side effect of taking statins, anecdotal evidence suggests that some people do experience it. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine notes that, in general, people taking statins may increase their fat intake and calorie consumption, buoyed by a false sense of security that taking the medication will protect their heart health as well as compensate for poor diet and lifestyle choices. In these cases, they are likely to gain weight.
Dr. Paeschke notes that while she does not speak to patients about the possibility of weight gain specifically related to statins, weight does come up during appointments. “Often people who are prescribed statins have other risk factors for heart disease, such as poor diet and being overweight, so I discuss these issues with every patient, whether I am starting statin therapy or not,” she says. “Depending on the person’s risk, often improving the diet to follow a more whole-food, plant-based diet and maintaining an ideal body weight can lower the cholesterol levels adequately without drug therapy.”
How to avoid weight gain while taking statins
While we now know that statins can cause very minimal weight gain for some people, you’re not automatically doomed to be one of them. The same steps that can help you combat risk factors for heart disease—including high cholesterol—can also help you maintain a healthy weight. “Heart disease is not just caused by high cholesterol, but other things like stress, diet, smoking, inflammation, lack of physical activity and poor sleep as well,” says Dr. Paeschke. “I always talk to my patients about the Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine to improve heart and overall health.”
The 5 pillars of lifestyle medicine
These include heart-healthy strategies such as:
- Eating a plant-based diet that favors fresh, whole foods
- Aiming to get at least 150 minutes of exercise per week (that’s about 22 minutes a day—walking counts!)
- Avoiding risky substances such as cigarettes (See our best tips to quit smoking)
- Taking steps to manage your stress,
- Nurturing social connections.
A plant-based diet, in particular, has been shown to improve cardiovascular disease outcomes while also contributing to weight loss.
The bottom line on statin-related weight gain
Statins have not been associated with significant weight gain. That said, making the diet and lifestyle tweaks that are best for your heart and your high cholesterol will only help you get healthier—including potentially not needing statins in the future.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
