OBJECTIVES Statins are widely used for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Studies have shown that statins may induce diabetes in non-diabetic CVD patients, as class effect. This systematic literature review aims to evaluate the risk of developing diabetes in CVD patients receiving statins. METHODS Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which used any statin as an intervention for non-diabetic CVD patients, were identified from August 2010 to June 2014 in databases such as, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane. The timeframe of the searches was selected post the study conducted by Mills et al