Hormonal
Hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance are common pathophysiological features linking hypertension, obesity, and glucose intolerance, potentially explaining their ubiquitous association through mechanisms involving elevated intracellular sodium and increased peripheral vascular resistance.
If you have high blood pressure, especially if you are not obese, check your metabolic health. High insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia) and insulin resistance are strongly linked to hypertension, independent of obesity. Managing insulin sensitivity through diet and lifestyle may be as important for blood pressure control as reducing sodium intake.
We conclude that insulin resistance and/or hyperinsulinemia (a) are present in the majority of hypertensives, (b) constitute a common pathophysiologic feature of obesity, glucose intolerance, and hypertension, possibly explaining their ubiquitous association, and (c) may be linked to the increased peripheral vascular resistance of hypertension, which is putatively related to elevated intracellular sodium concentration.
Why this rating
Large population-based cross-sectional study (n=2,475) with rigorous statistical controls for confounders, though causality is inferred rather than proven via intervention.
Source
Hyperinsulinemia. A link between hypertension obesity and glucose intolerance.
Michaela Modan et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 1985
DOI 10.1172/jci111776
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