Insulin resistance and atherosclerosis

In this review, we make an effort to evaluate the relationship between insulin resistance and atherosclerosis in nondiabetic individuals. The major goal of this article is to review the risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) that occur,vith increased frequency in insulin-resistant individuals and to provide potential pathophysiological explanations for these relationships. A second and related goal is to discourage efforts to decide which of these related abnormalities is "responsible" for the increased risk of CHD, white at the same time providing evidence that the cluster of abnormalities associated,vith insulin resistance should be added to the list of "traditional" factors that increase risk of CHD.