The benefits of taking cholesterol medication to reduce your risk of heart disease outweigh the increased diabetes risk faced by some people, according to research published today in The Lancet.

Analysis of the studies which led the USA's drug watchdog to put warning labels on cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, earlier this year found the diabetes link had been over-stated.

"The increased risk of diabetes linked to cholesterol-lowering drugs seems limited to people who were already at high risk before they started taking the medication," said Dr Robert Grenfell, National Clinical Issues Director at the Heart Foundation.

"Having high cholesterol means your arteries are getting blocked and that you're more likely to develop heart disease, the number one killer of Australian men and women.

"One in three Australians aged 30-65 - or more than 3.5 million of us - have been told by a doctor they have high cholesterol.

"For some this can be managed with lifestyle changes like eating less saturated fat, achieving a healthy weight and being more active, but for others medication is life saving," Dr Grenfell said.

The researchers found that patients with at least one risk factor for diabetes were 28% more likely to develop diabetes when using statins, but were still 39% less likely to have a cardiovascular illness and 17% less likely to die over the trial period.

Those without diabetes risk factors saw a 52% reduction in cardiovascular illness and no increase in diabetes risk.

"This research should ease any previous anxiety about cholesterol medication, but we urge anyone with concerns to keep taking their medication until they can discuss them with their doctor," Dr Grenfell added.

Erin Lalor, chair of the National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance (NVDPA), which includes the Heart Foundation, National Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Australia, and Kidney Health, said: "This study demonstrates the importance of considering how management of individual diseases may interact and this has been considered in the recently released NHMRC Guidelines for Absolute Risk."

Information from the Heart Foundation on how to lower your cholesterol is available at

http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/fats/Pages/cholesterol.aspx or by calling our Health Information Service on 1300 36 27 87.