is the sympathetic nervous system involved in programming the insulin resistance syndrome?
To test the hypothesis that elevated sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity could be determined in utero and be one of the processes mediating the link between size at birth and insulin resistance and raised blood pressure in adult life, we have studied the resting pulse rate of 449 men and women aged 46 to 54 (mean 50) years born in Preston, Lancashire, England whose birth size was recorded in detail. The subjects were visited at home by trained fieldworkers who measured resting pulse rate and blood pressure using an automated recorder. The resting pulse rate ranged from 44 to 108 (mean 73) beats min(-1). It rose with increasing body mass index (r = 0.14, p = 0.003) and waist to hip ratio (adjusted for sex r = 0.10, p = 0.003) and correlated significantly with systolic and diastolic blood pressures (p = 0.001), fasting glucose (p = 0.02), split proinsulin (p = 0.001), and triglyceride concentrations (p = 0.02). The pulse rate fell progressively from 76 beats min(-1) among subjects
