HIGHER SERUM-INSULIN LEVEL DUE TO GREATER TOTAL-BODY FAT MASS IN OFFSPRING OF PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION

To determine whether the offspring of hypertensive patients (OHP) migh t have a higher serum insulin level than offspring of normotensive par ents, we studied 152 girls in junior high school, 21 of whom had at le ast one hypertensive parent. The remaining 131 girl had normotensive p arents and served as the controls. After an overnight fast, we measure d the subjects' height, body weight, blood pressure and body fat mass, and collected blood for assay of serum immunoreactive insulin (IRI), lipids and apolipoproteins. Despite a similar body mass index, the OHP had a significantly greater body fat mass (P < 0.05) and % fat mass ( P < 0.05) than the controls. The OHP exhibited a significantly higher serum IRI level than the controls (P < 0.05), but no differences in bl ood pressure or serum lipids. In the OHP, % body fat mass was signific antly correlated with systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05), triglyceride (P < 0.01) and apolipoprotein B (P < 0.01), not observed in controls. The serum IRI of the OHP, but not that of controls, was significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05), serum triglycerid e (P < 0.02) and apolipoprotein B (P < 0.05). Thus, a higher serum IRI level due to an increase in total body fat mass appears to be an inhe rited trait that contributes to the development of hypertension and dy slipidemia.