Apr 25, 2014 01:57 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

People who take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs believe they have a license to pig out on fattening foods, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that people who took statins in 2009-2010 consumed more fat and calories than those who took the drugs 10 years earlier, HealthDay reported.  

The findings indicate that many patients might be abandoning their heart-healthy lifestyles and depending solely on drugs to get the job done. Statins are used by about one-sixth of adults.

"We may need to re-emphasize the importance of dietary modification for those who are taking these medications, now that obesity and diabetes are important problems in society," Takehiro Sugiyama,  study author, said in a statement.

For the study, researchers examined governmental health surveys from 1990 to 2010 involving nearly 28,000 adults aged 20 and older.  Different people were surveyed each year; they underwent physical exams and blood tests, and reported their food intake. Participants who used statins steadily increased, from 8 percent in the first year to 17 percent in the final year.

Researchers said current users of the cholesterol-lowering drug may not feel the urgency to reduce their calorie and fat intake, or to lose weight. That may problematic because doctors may now be more likely to prescribe statins for people who eat and weigh more, according to Sugiyama.

"Regardless of the mechanism they are problems, because eating more fat, especially saturated fat, will lead to higher cholesterol levels, which will undermine the effect of statins and may lead to unnecessary cost of medications," Sugiyama said. "We believe that, when physicians prescribe statins, the goal is to decrease patients' cardiovascular risks that cannot be achieved without medications, not to empower them to put butter on steaks."

Being overweight also increases the risk of diabetes and [high blood pressure], which also are risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

The findings were recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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