Cholesterol lowering statins may make women more aggressive – but men less so, researchers reported yesterday.
The findings come from a randomised study involving more than 1,000 men and post-menopausal women, conducted in California, USA.
It has been claimed previously that low cholesterol levels may increase aggression.
But the researchers found that, in men, any effect of this kind was counteracted by the effect of statins in reducing levels of the hormone testosterone.
In women there was a significant effect for women over the age of 45.
But this may be caused by the effect of the drugs on sleep, the researchers say. They found a strong link between sleep problems and increased aggression.
The findings have been reported in the journal PloS One.
Researcher Professor Beatrice Golomb, of the University of California, San Diego, said: “Either men or women can experience increased aggression on statins, but in men the typical effect is reduction.”
Statin Effects on Aggression: Results from the UCSD Statin Study, a Randomized Control Trial PloS One 1 July 2015 [abstract]
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