Blood pressure, insulin, and glycemia in nondiabetic subjects

The relation of blood pressure to fasting (basal) insulin and glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A₁) was examined in 248 nondiabetic subjects (137 women and 111 men). None of the subjects was taking antihypertensive medication. There were statistically significant associations of systolic and diastolic blood pressure with insulin levels (r = 0.24, p <0.01; r = 0.30, p <0.01) and hemoglobin A₁ levels (r = 0.28, p <0.001; r = 0.22, p <0.05) in women. These blood pressure indexes were also related to insulin levels in men (r = 0.23, p <0.05; r = 0.02, p <0.05). In a multiple regression analysis, the association between blood pressure and insulin level was diminished with an allowance for adiposity; however, it remained statistically significant. These data indicate that blood pressure is related to insulin levels in nondiabetic subjects and suggest that insulin may be a physiologic determinant of blood pressure.