Q I read that when you take statins, it raises blood glucose levels to a prediabetes or diabetes level. Does it happen even if your blood glucose is normal? How do statins work? My blood glucose is a bit high, and I’m worried it will go out of the normal range if I start to take them.

A Statins are a class of drug that can help lower unhealthful cholesterol levels in the blood. This, in turn, can lower the risk of developing certain types of heart disease.

Eve Glazier, M.D., MBA, is an internist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Elizabeth Ko, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health.