When someone has metabolic syndrome, high blood sugar and unhealthy fats in the blood team up with high blood pressure to harm the blood vessels and kidneys, making things worse over time.

Having trouble with insulin in people who have diabetes or are overweight might play a role in getting high blood pressure — which often shows up with those conditions — but we're not sure if it's actually causing it.

When your body becomes resistant to insulin, it makes more insulin to compensate, and that extra insulin can make your kidneys hold onto too much salt, which over time can lead to high blood pressure.

People with mild high blood pressure who have trouble using insulin well also tend to have muscles that don’t take in sugar properly and don’t get as much blood flow — suggesting their metabolism and blood vessels might be struggling together.