Hyperinsulinemia is not a cause of cortisol-induced hypertension

Abstract

There is much interest in the relationship of hypertension to hyperinsulinemia. Six male volunteers received cortisol, 50 mg orally four times daily, for 5 days. Plasma insulin concentration increased from 11.8 ± 3.0 mU/L to 16.1 ± 4.0 mU/L (P =.034). Fasting glucose increased from 4.7 ± 0.3 to 5.8 ± 0.1 mmol/L (P =.001). The insulin-to-glucose ratio was unchanged. Octreotide has been reported to lower blood pressure in obese, hyperinsulinemie, hypertensive patients. The hypothesis that cortisol-induced hypertension might be secondary to steroid-induced hyperinsulinemia was examined by determining whether reversai of hyperinsulinemia by octreotide would reverse cortisol-induced hypertension...