Teens With Insulin Resistance at Risk for High Blood Pressure Later in Life

Insulin resistance during the teen years is an independent risk factor for high systolic blood pressure in adulthood. The initial study began approximately 10 years ago and involved screening Minneapolis-area school children in grades 5 through 8. Median age was 13.

The results reported by lead investigator Dr. Alan Sinaiko are of 357 children randomly selected from the original group. Mean follow-up was 5.5 years. The researchers tested insulin resistance using a euglycemic clamp at ages 13, 15 and 19. None of the children was hypertensive at baseline.

Dr. Sinaiko reported that increased insulin resistance was associated with a significantly higher systolic blood pressure after more than 5 years of follow-up.
Systolic blood pressure at age 19 was increased by 0.42 mmHg for each unit of increase in insulin resistance found at age 13. Systolic blood pressure increased 0.81 mmHg for each unit of increase in BMI. Each unit of increase in insulin resistance was associated with an increase of 0.20 mg/dL HDL cholesterol and an increase of 0.88 mg/dL in triglycerides.

"This really is highly significant," Dr. Sinaiko told Reuters Health. "We also found that insulin resistance is an independent risk factor. It tends to be associated with an increase in body size, but it is an independent risk factor."

There are two main findings here," the Minnesota investigator said. "One is that cardiovascular disease starts very early in life from factors that are in place before adolescence. Second is that treating obesity is really important."

Dr. Sinaiko said that it may be possible to treat insulin resistance directly, using the newer agents for type 2 diabetes that increase glucose at the cellular level, but that is strictly speculation at this point.

Reported Sunday during the 58th Annual High Blood Pressure Research Conference in Chicago.

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