Insulin and hypertension.

Patients with hypertension have been shown to be resistant to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and hyperinsulinemic when compared to matched control groups with normal blood pressure. In addition, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia have been demonstrated in rat models of hypertension-including SHR rats and Sprague-Dawley rats fed a fructose-enriched diet. Furthermore, fructose-induced hypertension can be attenuated by experimental interventions which decrease insulin resistance and/or hyperinsulinemia. These observations raise the possibility that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia may play a role in blood pressure regulation. Finally, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia increase risk of coronary artery decrease in patients with hypertension, both directly, and indirectly by their influence on very low density and high density lipoprotein metabolism.