A new study has found that individuals who take cholesterol-lowering statin medications have a slightly increased risk of developing diabetes.

According to Reuters, researchers reviewed data from 13 large, randomized controlled trials of statins between 1994 and 2009, involving more than 91,000 patients. They found a clear link between statin use and diabetes, but say that the risk of developing diabetes was small.

They found that individuals on these medications are 9 percent more likely to develop diabetes compared to people not taking the drugs.

"Whilst a new risk of statins has been identified, the risk seems small and far outweighed by the benefits of this life-saving class of drugs," said Christopher Cannon of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Statins are routinely prescribed to treat high cholesterol and have been credited with helping to avoid millions of heart attacks and strokes. In addition, they generally have few negative side effects.

Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are often considered key to keeping cholesterol in check. Among the herbs and nutritional supplements believed to help lower cholesterol are fish oil, flaxseed, garlic, blond psyllium, guggulipid extract, green tea extract and beta sitosterol.