Body Mass, Blood Pressure, Glucose, and Lipids Does Plasma Insulin Explain Their Relationships?

Obesity, hypertension, a high plasma level of glucose, and some llpid abnormalities (high plasma levels of cholesterol and triglycerides) often occur in the same individ-uals. Some authors have postulated that the elevated levels of plasma insulin in obese individuals may explain this association. To explore this hypothesis further, the rela-tionships between body mass index, fasting plasma glucose and insulin, blood pres-sure, serum lipids, and apoproteins were Investigated in a group of 2144 healthy middle-aged men. Analysis of the data show that the associations between body mass index and blood pressure or lipid variables are largely independent of plasma glucose and Insulin. Plasma glucose is strongly related to blood pressure in nonobese sub-jects. Plasma Insulin is not associated with blood pressure independently of body mass index and plasma glucose; however, the simultaneous elevation of body mass index, plasma glucose, and insulin is strongly associated with blood pressure. The results also confirm that plasma insulin is positively related to triglycerides and negatively related to high density Iipoprotein cholesterol independently of plasma glucose and body mass index. (Arteriosclerosis 7:197-202, March/April 1987