Markers / Gene
SLCO1B1
One position in this gene is readable from a home DNA test.
Statin muscle side effects
rs4149056 · chr12:21,331,549 · T/C · evidence: established
SLCO1B1 is the transporter that pulls statins out of the blood and into the liver, where they work. A reduced-function version leaves more statin circulating in muscle, which is where the aching comes from.
| If you carry | What it means |
|---|---|
| No copies | Normal function |
| One copy | Decreased function |
| Two copies | Poor function |
| Ancestry group | C (the effect version) | |
|---|---|---|
| African | 1.4% | |
| American | 13.4% | |
| East Asian | 12.3% | |
| European | 16.1% | |
| South Asian | 4.3% |
1000 Genomes Project phase 3, via Ensembl, retrieved 2026-09-23. These groupings are coarse and flatten a great deal of internal diversity, particularly within Africa. A variant being common somewhere tells you where a piece of your ancestry probably comes from, and nothing else.
Where this gene fits
If you have taken a home DNA test, these positions are already in your file.
Read my file