Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 76, 544-548, Copyright © 1993 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

An epidemiological test of the hyperinsulinemia-hypertension hypothesis

DC Muller, D Elahi, RE Pratley, JD Tobin and R Andres
Laboratory of Clinical Physiology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224.

The association between hyperinsulinemia and hypertension was tested in a population of 421 men and 228 women from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Subjects are white, middle-class, generally healthy, community-dwelling volunteers who ranged in age from 17-95 yr. Those with disease or medications known to influence any of the studied variables were excluded from the analysis. Twenty-five percent of the subjects were borderline or hypertensive [systolic blood pressure (BP) > or = 140 or diastolic BP > or = 90 mm Hg]. Standard oral glucose tolerance tests were performed; the logarithms of the fasting insulin level and insulin area were used in the analyses. In addition, body mass index and percent body fat (from age and skinfold thickness equations) and waist hip ratio were computed. In simple correlations, systolic BP and diastolic BP were statistically significantly related to insulin levels (only 1-4% of the variance was explained). Since age, body fat, fat distribution, insulin levels, and BP were highly intercorrelated, insulin and blood pressure correlations were examined after controlling for the confounding variables. Correlations of BP and insulin levels adjusted for age, body fat, and fat distribution were entirely nonsignificant. In this large noninterventive population study, the hyperinsulinemia-hypertension hypothesis is not confirmed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. G. Foy, K. L. Foley, R. B. D'Agostino Jr., D. C. Goff Jr., E. Mayer-Davis, and L. E. Wagenknecht Physical Activity, Insulin Sensitivity, and Hypertension among US Adults: Findings from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study Am. J. Epidemiol., May 15, 2006; 163(10): 921 - 928. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Poirier, T. D. Giles, G. A. Bray, Y. Hong, J. S. Stern, F. X. Pi-Sunyer, and R. H. Eckel Obesity and cardiovascular disease: pathophysiology, evaluation, and effect of weight loss. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., May 1, 2006; 26(5): 968 - 976. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Poirier, T. D. Giles, G. A. Bray, Y. Hong, J. S. Stern, F. X. Pi-Sunyer, and R. H. Eckel Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease: Pathophysiology, Evaluation, and Effect of Weight Loss: An Update of the 1997 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Obesity and Heart Disease From the Obesity Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism Circulation, February 14, 2006; 113(6): 898 - 918. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. E. Zanolin, F. Tosi, G. Zoppini, R. Castello, G. Spiazzi, R. Dorizzi, M. Muggeo, and P. Moghetti Clustering of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Associated With the Insulin Resistance Syndrome: Assessment by principal component analysis in young hyperandrogenic women Diabetes Care, February 1, 2006; 29(2): 372 - 378. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Poirier, I. Lemieux, P. Mauriege, E. Dewailly, C. Blanchet, J. Bergeron, and J.-P. Despres Impact of Waist Circumference on the Relationship Between Blood Pressure and Insulin: The Quebec Health Survey Hypertension, March 1, 2005; 45(3): 363 - 367. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Yasuhi, J. W. Hogan, J. Canick, M. B. Sosa, and M. W. Carpenter Midpregnancy Serum C-Peptide Concentration and Subsequent Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension Diabetes Care, April 1, 2001; 24(4): 743 - 747. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. He, M. J. Klag, B. Caballero, L. J. Appel, J. Charleston, and P. K. Whelton Plasma Insulin Levels and Incidence of Hypertension in African Americans and Whites Arch Intern Med, March 8, 1999; 159(5): 498 - 503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Sowers Insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor in Normal and Pathological Cardiovascular Physiology Hypertension, March 1, 1997; 29(3): 691 - 699. [Full Text]

				M. M.I. Hennes, I. M. O'Shaughnessy, T. M. Kelly, P. LaBelle, B. M. Egan, and A. H. Kissebah Insulin-Resistant Lipolysis in Abdominally Obese Hypertensive Individuals: Role of the Renin-Angiotensin System Hypertension, July 1, 1996; 28(1): 120 - 126. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				B. M. Egan, M. M.I. Hennes, K. T. Stepniakowski, I. M. O'Shaughnessy, A. H. Kissebah, and T. L. Goodfriend Obesity Hypertension Is Related More to Insulin's Fatty Acid Than Glucose Action Hypertension, March 1, 1996; 27(3): 723 - 728. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				H. Kanai, K. Tokunaga, S. Fujioka, S. Yamashita, K. Kameda-Takemura, and Y. Matsuzawa Decrease in Intra-Abdominal Visceral Fat May Reduce Blood Pressure in Obese Hypertensive Women Hypertension, January 1, 1996; 27(1): 125 - 129. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				R. K. Davda, K. T. Stepniakowski, G. Lu, M. E. Ullian, T. L. Goodfriend, and B. M. Egan Oleic Acid Inhibits Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase by a Protein Kinase C-Independent Mechanism Hypertension, November 1, 1995; 26(5): 764 - 770. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				I. M. O'Shaughnessy, T. J. Myers, K. Stepniakowski, P. Nazzaro, T. M. Kelly, R. G. Hoffmann, B. M. Egan, and A. H. Kissebah Glucose Metabolism in Abdominally Obese Hypertensive and Normotensive Subjects Hypertension, July 1, 1995; 26(1): 186 - 192. [Abstract] [Full Text]