Is There Any Correlation between Insulin Resistance and Nitrate Plasma Concentration in White Coat Hypertensive Patients?

We evaluated a relationship between nitric oxide plasma correlation and insulin resistance in white coat hypertensive patients. Patients were screened for white coat hypertension using an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was used to assess insulin resistance, and plasma nitrate concentrations were determined by chemiluminescence. The HOMA-IR was significantly higher in hypertensive (3.84 ± 0.62) when compared to white coat (2.11 ± 0.36) and normotensive (1.40 ± 0.21). We found no correlation between HOMA-IR and plasma nitrate levels in all three groups. We suggest that the more important issue for these patients is to focus on the metabolic abnormalities where lifestyle interventions such as weight control and exercise have proven effective.