Racial Differences in the Relation between Blood Pressure and Insulin Resistance

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance and the concomitant compensatory hyperinsulinemia have been implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, reports on the relation between insulin and blood pressure are inconsistent. This study was designed to investigate the possibility of racial differences in this relation. METHODS: We studied 116 Pima Indians, 53 whites, and 42 blacks who were normotensive and did not have diabetes; the groups were comparable with respect to mean age (29, 30, and 31 years, respectively) and blood pressure (113/70, 111/68, and 113/68 mm Hg, respectively). Insulin resistance was determined by the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique during low-dose (40 mU per square meter of body-surface area per minute) and high-dose (400 mU per square meter per minute) insulin infusions. RESULTS: The…