Insulin and hypertension: are they related?

It has been postulated that insulin resistance and the concomitant compensatory hyperinsulinemia contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension; possible by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, promoting renal sodium reabsorption, modulating cation transport, and/or stimulating vascular smooth muscle hypertrophy. The purpose of this article is to present a comprehensive up-to-date review of the literature and critically examine the insulin resistance-hyperinsulinemia-hypertension hypothesis.