The role of the renin-angiotensin system in insulin sensitivity in normotensive subjects.

Nonobese patients with essential hypertension have been reported to be insulin resistant. Because blockade of the renin-angiotensin system has been demonstrated to improve insulin sensitivity in hypertensive patients, the authors evaluated the effects of angiotensin-II administration and of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition with enalapril on insulin-mediated glucose uptake in normotensive men. The results showed no change in insulin sensitivity with either 0.3 ng/kg/min or 1 ng/kg/min angiotensin-II administration or with enalapril therapy. The authors conclude that neither physiologic amounts of angiotensin-II nor converting enzyme inhibition alter insulin sensitivity in normotensive men.