Hyperinsulinemia as an Independent Risk Factor for Ischemic Heart Disease

Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are conditions known to be associated with hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations. 1 , 2 Four prospective studies, in which fasting plasma insulin concentrations were used as an index of insulin sensitivity, found that elevated insulin levels are associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease in men, 3 – 6 but this finding has not been confirmed in all studies. 7 Whether the relation between hyperinsulinemia and ischemic heart disease is independent of related risk factors, such as hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol concentrations, and hypertension, is not clear, however. Fontbonne and colleagues 8 – 10 reported that hyperinsulinemia . . .