However, statins have been linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), (Preiss et al. 2011; Sattar et al. 2010) with recent evidence indicating this is mediated by an on-target effect (specifically through inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, HMGCR, the intended target of statins) (Swerdlow et al. 2015). This evidence concerns the gene HMGCR and type 2 diabetes mellitus.