Independent association between fasting plasma insulin and ambulatory blood pressure in 50-year-old women.
The aim of the present study was to investigate correlations between fasting insulin and ambulatory blood pressure in healthy 50-year-old women. Sixty-five women without anti-hypertensive medication were investigated at a Primary Health Care Centre in Enköping, Sweden. Fasting plasma insulin, office blood pressure and heart rate were measured as well as ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate (Spacelab 90202). Log-transformed insulin correlated with all blood pressure recordings (r = 0.3-0.5; p < 0.05) but only with night-time heart rate (r = 0.3; p < 0.05). In multiple regression analyses log-insulin still correlated with night-time systolic blood pressure and heart rate, but not with the other blood pressure variables, after elimination of the influence of body mass index. We conclude that fasting plasma insulin shows an obesity-independent correlation with night-time systolic blood pressure and heart rate in healthy women, possible indicators of a "basic" sympathetic nervous outflow in muscle tissue during sleep.
Nilsson
P
P
Health Sciences Centre, Lund University, Sweden.
Schwan
A
A
D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D013548:Sweden
D007328:Insulin