Statin Users Without an APOE-ε4 Allele have Increased Insulin Resistance

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: VanFossen, Brian T.^{a; b} | Watson, G. Stennis^{a; b; *} | Baker, Laura D.^{a; b} | Rhoads, Kristoffer W.^{a; b} | Cholerton, Brenna A.^{a; b} | Reger, Mark A.^{a; b} | Plymate, Stephen R.^{a; c} | Schellenberg, Gerald^{a; b} | Craft, Suzanne^{a; b}

Affiliations: [a] GRECC, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA | [b] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA | [c] Departments of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: G. Stennis Watson, PhD, S-182-GRECC, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 South Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108, USA. Tel.: +1 206277 6892; Fax: +1 206 764 2569; E-mail: gswatson@u.washington.edu.

Abstract: The present study examined the relationships among statin use, APOE genotype, and insulin resistance as measured by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in healthy older adults. APOE ε4- (i.e., not having an ε4 allele) statin users had higher HOMA-IR values compared with ε4+/statin users (p = 0.0169), and with non-users who were ε4- (p = 0.0003) or ε4+ (p = 0.0006). These results suggest that statin use may modulate insulin levels for individuals without an APOE ε4 allele.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, diabetes, insulin, statin

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2010-1319

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 1149-1153, 2010