Blood Pressure: Signal of Metabolic Dysfunction | Episode 38

In this episode of The Health Pulse Podcast, we reveal the often-overlooked connection between high blood pressure and insulin resistance. While hypertension is typically treated as a standalone condition, research shows that 50-75% of people with primary hypertension also have insulin resistance—even without diabetes.

Learn how insulin affects more than just blood sugar, playing critical roles in sodium retention, blood vessel constriction, and inflammation—creating a “triple whammy” that drives blood pressure up. Discover why early metabolic dysfunction often shows up first as hypertension, and how this may be a vital warning sign of deeper issues.

🎧 Tune in to find out how improving insulin sensitivity through diet, movement, stress management, and proper testing can help naturally lower blood pressure and restore metabolic balance.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. The content discussed is based on research, expert insights, and reputable sources, but it does not replace professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. We strive to present accurate and up-to-date information, medical research is constantly evolving. Listeners should always verify details with trusted health organizations, before making any health-related decisions. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, such as severe pain, difficulty breathing, or other urgent symptoms, call your local emergency services immediately. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that The Health Pulse and its creators are not responsible for any actions taken based on the content of this episode. Your health and well-being should always be guided by the advice of qualified medical professionals.

Episode Transcript

Nicolette (00:01):
Welcome to the Health Pulse, your go-to source for
quick, actionable insights onhealth, wellness and diagnostics
.
Whether you're looking tooptimize your well-being or stay
informed about the latest inmedical testing, we've got you
covered.
Join us as we break down keyhealth topics in just minutes.
Let's dive in.

Rachel (00:25):
We often think of high blood pressure.
As you know, just somethingthat happens.
Maybe it's part of gettingolder or it runs in the family.

Nicolette (00:31):
Right.

Rachel (00:32):
And the solution seems simple maybe just taking
medication.
But what if this silentcondition, as people call it, is
?

Mark (00:46):
actually trying to tell us something, giving us an early
heads up about something deeper.
That's a great way to put it.
It reminds me of that sayingthe first sign of trouble often
whispers long before it shouts.

Rachel (00:53):
Exactly, that fits perfectly here.

Mark (00:55):
It really does.
We tend to tackle healthproblems one by one right, and
high blood pressure is a classicexample.

Rachel (01:01):
Yeah.

Mark (01:02):
But what we want to dig into today in this deep dive is
the idea that maybe elevatedblood pressure isn't acting
alone.
For a lot of people, it canactually be one of the first
signals that their metabolismisn't running quite right.

Rachel (01:14):
Metabolism, meaning how our body handles energy and
nutrients.

Mark (01:18):
Precisely and specifically how it relates to something
called insulin resistance.

Rachel (01:22):
Okay, insulin resistance that term comes up a lot.
Can you break that down for usin simple terms?

Mark (01:28):
Sure, Think of it like this your body cells, like in
your muscles, your fat, yourliver, they stop responding
properly to the hormone insulin.

Rachel (01:39):
Okay.

Mark (01:40):
Now insulin's main job the one we usually hear about is
managing blood sugar.

Nicolette (01:44):
Yeah.

Mark (01:44):
Letting glucose into cells for energy.
But insulin does more.
It's involved in storing fatinflammation levels, even how
our kidneys and blood vesselswork.

Rachel (01:54):
Ah, so it's wearing multiple hats.

Mark (01:55):
Definitely, and those other jobs.
They're all really importantfor keeping blood pressure in
check.

Rachel (02:00):
Okay, let me see if I've got this.
So if our cells ignore insulin,it's not just about blood sugar
, maybe going up down the line.

Mark (02:08):
No, not just that.

Rachel (02:09):
It can mess with other things like blood vessels and
kidneys that directly controlour blood pressure.
That's a really interestinglink.

Mark (02:16):
It is, and that's the core of what we want to explore.

Rachel (02:18):
So the mission for this deep dive is to really unpack
that connection, understand whyit matters and maybe even talk
about tackling the root cause,not just the symptom.

Mark (02:28):
You've got it connecting those dots for you, so maybe
let's start with the basics.
What is high blood pressure orhypertension exactly?

Rachel (02:35):
Right, good place to start.
Hypertension is basically whenthe force of your blood pushing
against your artery walls staystoo high for too long and you
might not feel it day to day,but that constant high pressure
puts a real strain on your heart, blood vessels, organs, you
know, over time that's right,and what's key here is that most
people with hypertension havewhat's called primary or

(02:57):
essential hypertension.
Meaning no single obvious causelike kidney disease or
something.

Mark (03:04):
Exactly no single smoking gun.
Like a specific disease or atumor, it's usually a mix of
factors contributing.

Rachel (03:10):
Okay, like what kind of factors?
What usually gets blamed forprimary hypertension?

Mark (03:15):
Well, family history genetics that plays a part.
If it runs in your family, yourrisk is higher.
Age is another one.

Rachel (03:21):
Yeah.

Mark (03:22):
As we get older, our blood vessels can get a bit stiffer,
less flexible Right.
And then, of course, thelifestyle things we hear about
diet, stress levels, how much wemove or don't move.

Rachel (03:32):
So the usual suspects genes, age, maybe too much salt,
stress, that kind of stuff, andthe worrying thing, like we
said, is it's often silent.
You can have it for ages andfeel totally fine.

Mark (03:44):
Absolutely Until maybe something serious happens.
But here's where the plotthickens.
While all those factorscontribute, there's growing
evidence going back decadesactually suggesting a really
strong link between this primaryhypertension and some early
metabolic problems.

Rachel (04:01):
And that brings us back to insulin resistance.

Mark (04:03):
Exactly.
Research like from Dr GeraldRiven back in the 90s really
highlighted this connection.

Rachel (04:10):
So hang on.
For a lot of people, it's notjust about salt or stress or
getting older.
Their high blood pressure couldactually be an early warning
sign that their metabolism,specifically how it deals with
insulin, is starting to struggle.

Mark (04:23):
That's the key insight.
Yes, it shifts the perspective,doesn't it?

Rachel (04:26):
It really does.
Okay, let's dive deeper intoinsulin resistance.
Then you said insulin does morethan just blood sugar.

Mark (04:31):
Way more.
It's involved in fat storageinflammation throughout the body
, and it directly influences howour kidneys handle sodium and
how our blood vessels tighten orrelax.

Rachel (04:41):
Okay, it's a real multitasker.
And insulin resistance itself.
What's happening physicallywhen cells become resistant?

Mark (04:49):
It means those cells, your muscle, fat, liver cells.
They just don't listen toinsulin signal as well as they
should.
They resist it.

Rachel (04:56):
Okay.

Mark (04:57):
So the body's response, the pancreas, which makes
insulin, says okay, I need toshout louder and it starts
pumping out more insulin to tryand get the job done so it
compensates, which means atfirst your blood sugar might
look fine on a test.
Exactly, your pancreas isworking overtime keeping blood
sugar in check, but and this isa big but having those higher

(05:18):
levels of insulin circulatingeven with normal blood sugar
causes other issues.

Rachel (05:23):
Like what kind of issues ?

Mark (05:24):
Well, we often see more fat storage, especially around
the middle, that visceral bellyfat.
It promotes low-grade chronicinflammation system-wide.
It makes blood vessels lessable to relax properly, kind of
more constricted and, cruciallyfor blood pressure, it tells the
kidneys to hold on to moresodium.
Wow.

Rachel (05:40):
Okay.
So even if your glucose is okay, too much insulin is still
causing trouble behind thescenes, kind of quietly messing
things up.

Mark (05:48):
Precisely, it's setting the stage and all those things
you just listed sodium retention, tighter blood vessels,
inflammation sound like theypush blood pressure up.

Rachel (05:56):
They definitely do.
You mentioned some statsearlier about how common this
link is.

Mark (06:00):
Yes, it's quite striking Research, like a significant
study published in Circulationback in 97, suggested that
somewhere around 50 to 75percent half to three quarters
of people with essentialhypertension also have insulin
resistance 50 to 75 percent.

Rachel (06:16):
That's huge, even without having diabetes.

Mark (06:18):
Even without diabetes.
That overlap is massive and itreally makes you think, doesn't
it?
How exactly does thisresistance lead to higher
pressure?

Rachel (06:26):
Yeah, let's connect those dots explicitly.
How does holding on to sodiumthe tight vessels, the
inflammation, how does thatdirectly translate into a higher
number on the cuff?

Mark (06:37):
Okay, let's break it down.
First, the sodium.
When kidneys hold on to moresodium, water follows sodium.
So you retain more water.
Okay, that increases the totalvolume of blood in your system.
More volume in the same pipesmeans higher pressure.
Simple physics, really.

Rachel (06:53):
Got it More liquid, more pressure.
What about the blood vessels?

Mark (06:57):
Well, when insulin resistance makes them less able
to relax and widen, it increasesresistance to blood flow.
Imagine trying to push waterthrough a narrower hose.
The pressure builds up, yourheart has to work harder.

Rachel (07:10):
Right Makes sense Like pinching a garden hose.

Mark (07:12):
Exactly.
And then there's theinflammation.
Chronic low-grade inflammationmakes the artery walls
themselves stiffer, less elastic.

Rachel (07:19):
So they can't buffer the pressure changes as well.

Mark (07:22):
Precisely, they lose that flexibility.

Rachel (07:29):
So you've got increased volume, increased resistance
from tighter vessels and stifferpipes all pushing that pressure
reading up.
So it's like a triple whammy,all triggered by the body not
responding well to insulin.

Mark (07:35):
That's a good way to think about it.
Yeah, the cells aren'tlistening.
The pancreas overcompensateswith more insulin and that
excess insulin triggers thesechanges Sodium retention, vessel
constriction, inflammation thatquietly increase blood pressure
.

Rachel (07:50):
Often years before blood sugar becomes a problem.

Mark (07:53):
Often years before.
Yes, and that's whyunderstanding this is so vital
for long-term health, Becausethat high blood pressure reading
it might be the first clearsign that your metabolism is
stressed.

Rachel (08:05):
But it gets treated in isolation, right?
Just here's a pill for yourpressure.

Mark (08:08):
Very often, yes, the focus is on the number, not
necessarily the why behind thenumber, which is a missed
opportunity.

Rachel (08:15):
And if we miss that opportunity, if we don't address
the underlying insulinresistance, what are the risks
down the road when you have bothhigh blood pressure and insulin
resistance?

Mark (08:25):
Well, the risks really multiply.
Insulin resistance is a majorpathway towards type 2 diabetes,
as the pancreas eventually getsexhausted.
There's a very strong link tonon-alcoholic fatty liver
disease NAFLD because insulinresistance drives fat storage in
the liver.
And, of course, both conditionshigh blood pressure and insulin
resistance accelerate damage toarteries, increasing

(08:46):
inflammation, significantlyraising the risk for heart
attacks and strokes.

Rachel (08:50):
So it's a whole cascade of potential problems.
You also mentioned cognitivedecline earlier.
That sounds serious.

Mark (08:56):
It is, and it's a growing area of concern.
Poor metabolic health,especially insulin resistance,
seems to be linked to a higherrisk for cognitive issues like
Alzheimer's disease.
Wow, Some researchers likeDelamonte and Wands even propose
calling Alzheimer's type 3diabetes, because the connection
between brain insulin signalingand function seems so strong.

Rachel (09:17):
Type 3 diabetes.
That really drives the pointhome.
So these early blood pressurechanges aren't just numbers.
They're potentially crucialclues.

Mark (09:25):
They absolutely can be Clues about your deeper
metabolic health.
Remember Dr Riven's work showedinsulin resistance often
bubbles under the surface foryears before you get a diagnosis
of metabolic syndrome ordiabetes.

Rachel (09:37):
And the blood pressure could be the first thing to
noticeably change.

Mark (09:40):
For many people, yes, it might be the earliest flag, and
catching it then, understandingthe potential link, gives you a
chance to intervene much earlier.

Rachel (09:49):
Which could potentially reduce the risk of all those
serious complications later on.

Mark (09:53):
That's the goal Early awareness, early action.

Rachel (09:56):
Okay, so we get the connection, we get the stakes.
Now the most important partwhat can we actually do If just
taking a pill for blood pressuremight be missing the bigger
picture?

Mark (10:07):
Right.
If insulin resistance is a keydriver, then the real solution
involves improving how your bodyhandles insulin and blood sugar
, not just masking the pressure.

Rachel (10:20):
And the good news is we can actually do things to
improve that Lifestyle changes.

Mark (10:22):
Absolutely.
The evidence is strong.
Lifestyle changes can make ahuge difference in improving
insulin sensitivity, and oftenthat helps lower blood pressure,
naturally, too.

Rachel (10:31):
That's really hopeful.
So what specific changes are wetalking about?
Where do we start?

Mark (10:36):
Nutrition is probably number one.
Really focus on whole,unprocessed foods meaning
cutting way back on added sugarsand refined carbs.
You know the white bread, pasta, sugary drinks, desserts, that
sort of thing.

Rachel (10:48):
Okay, replace them with what?

Mark (10:50):
Replace them with fiber-rich foods Lots of
non-starchy vegetables, berries,nuts, seeds and include healthy
fats.
Think olive oil, avocados,fatty fish like salmon.

Rachel (11:01):
Why does that help with insulin?

Mark (11:03):
Because that way of eating avoids those big, rapid spikes
in blood sugar that demand ahuge insulin response.
Over time it helps your cellsbecome more sensitive, more
responsive to insulin.
Again, Research supports this.

Rachel (11:16):
Less sugar, less processed stuff, more fiber and
healthy fats.

Mark (11:20):
Got it.
What about moving Exercise?

Rachel (11:22):
Crucial Physical activity helps your muscles soak
up glucose from your blood,often without needing much
insulin at all.

Mark (11:28):
Oh, interesting.
So exercise bypasses some ofthe resistance.

Rachel (11:31):
In a way, yes.
It provides an alternativeroute for glucose disposal, and
strength training is especiallygood because building muscle
boosts your overall metabolicrate.

Mark (11:39):
More muscle burns more energy.
Right, Even simple things count, like taking a walk, especially
after meals.
That can blunt the blood sugarspike and lower the insulin
needed.

Rachel (11:49):
Okay, so move more, build some muscle makes sense.
What else is in the toolkit?

Mark (11:54):
Sleep.
Don't underestimate sleep.
Aim for seven to nine hours ofquality sleep per night.

Rachel (11:59):
Really Sleep affects insulin resistance.

Mark (12:01):
Definitely.
Studies show poor sleep, evenjust a few bad nights, can
increase insulin resistance andalso bump up blood pressure.

Rachel (12:08):
Wow Okay, prioritize sleep.
That's one many of us neglect.
What about stress?

Mark (12:14):
Huge factor.
Chronic stress keeps yourcortisol levels high.
Cortisol interferes withinsulin's action and also
directly raises blood pressure.

Rachel (12:22):
So finding ways to manage stress is key.

Mark (12:25):
Yes, things like deep breathing, meditation,
mindfulness, spending time innature, whatever works for you
to lower that chronic stressresponse, can really help your
metabolic health.

Rachel (12:34):
Those all sound like things we can control.
Any other tips?

Mark (12:37):
Yes, one more important, one Test.
Don't guess.

Rachel (12:40):
Meaning get specific lab tests.

Mark (12:42):
Exactly your standard.
Fasting glucose test might looknormal for a long time, even if
you have significant insulinresistance.

Rachel (12:50):
So what should we ask for?

Mark (12:52):
Talk to your doctor about checking your fasting insulin
level.
Also, calculating your HOMA-IRscore, which estimates insulin
resistance, and looking at yourtriglyceride to HDL ratio can be
another useful clue.

Rachel (13:05):
Triglyceride to HDL.

Mark (13:06):
Yes, that ratio.
These markers can often show aproblem brewing years before
your fasting glucose goes up.

Rachel (13:13):
So being proactive with testing can give you that early
warning.

Mark (13:16):
Precisely Early detection means earlier action.

Rachel (13:20):
And improving insulin sensitivity doesn't just help
with potential diabetes riskright.
It circles back to bloodpressure.

Mark (13:26):
Absolutely.
When your body handles insulinbetter, your blood vessels tend
to relax more easily, yourkidneys get better at balancing
sodium and fluids, and that allcontributes to helping blood
pressure normalize.
It addresses the underlyingmechanics.

Rachel (13:39):
Okay, so, wrapping this all up, the big takeaway seems
to be that high blood pressure,for many of us, might not just
be an isolated thing.
It could be an early whisperfrom our metabolism.

Mark (13:49):
A whisper about insulin resistance.
Yeah, that's the core messagewe wanted to share.

Rachel (13:53):
And ignoring that whisper, ignoring the connection
, comes with serious potentialconsequences down the line Type
2 diabetes, fatty liver, heartdisease, even cognitive issues.

Mark (14:03):
Right.
The stakes are high.

Rachel (14:05):
And this is the empowering part we're not
helpless by making consciouschoices about our food, movement
, sleep, stress.

Mark (14:12):
And maybe getting the right tests done.

Rachel (14:14):
Right.
We can actually improve ourinsulin sensitivity, potentially
lower blood pressure naturally,and really tackle the root
cause.

Mark (14:22):
Exactly you really can influence this cycle.
And maybe a final thought toleave you with, inspired by our
conversation your blood pressureisn't just a number, it's your
metabolism speaking.
Make sure you're listening.

Rachel (14:34):
That's powerful.
It's your metabolism speaking.
It really makes you stop andthink.
If blood pressure is onewhisper, what other subtle
signals might our bodies besending about our metabolic
health that maybe we're tuningout?
Definitely food for thought.

Nicolette (14:54):
Thanks for tuning into the Health Pulse.
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