The relation of fasting insulin to blood pressure in a multiethnic population: The Miami Community Health Study

Abstract PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the associations among fasting insulin, adiposity, waist girth, and blood pressure among a nondiabetic multiethnic population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among 25–44-year-old African-Americans ( n = 159), Cuban-Americans ( n = 128), and non-Hispanic whites ( n = 207) selected from Date County, Florida. Fasting insulin levels were correlated with resting blood pressure level within each ethnic group. The separate effects of percentage body fat and waist girth on the association between blood pressure and insulin were analyzed in multiple linear regression and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: Fasting insulin was positively associated with systolic ( r = 0.26–0.39; P r = 0.19–0.30; P = 0.10 to P r = 0.27; P P P = 0.02). Among Cuban-Americans, sex and percentage body fat were the main correlates of blood pressure level. Analysis of covariance revealed a relationship between insulin and blood pressure that was independent of waist girth among men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Fasting insulin level and blood pressure were positively associated among African-Americans and non-Hispanic whites. This association was not entirely due to the common association with percentage body fat or waist girth.