How insulin in kidneys affects salt and blood pressure in fat mice
Inducible Renal Tubule‐specific Insulin Receptor Knockout Mice Have Decreased NCC‐mediated Sodium Reabsorption and Reduced Sensitivity to Mineralocorticoid‐induced Hypertension in Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Deleting insulin receptors in kidney tubules reduced sodium retention and blunted blood pressure responses—but didn’t change baseline blood pressure.
Most would expect that reducing salt retention would lower resting blood pressure, but the study found no difference in mean arterial pressure between iTIRKO and WT mice on any diet.
Practical Takeaways
Managing insulin levels through diet, exercise, or medication may help reduce sodium retention and lower risk of blood pressure spikes, especially in obesity.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Deleting insulin receptors in kidney tubules reduced sodium retention and blunted blood pressure responses—but didn’t change baseline blood pressure.
Most would expect that reducing salt retention would lower resting blood pressure, but the study found no difference in mean arterial pressure between iTIRKO and WT mice on any diet.
Practical Takeaways
Managing insulin levels through diet, exercise, or medication may help reduce sodium retention and lower risk of blood pressure spikes, especially in obesity.
Publication
Journal
The FASEB Journal
Year
2016
Authors
Jonathan M. Nizar, Elisabeth M. Walczak, Wuxing Dong, L. Bankir, Vivek Bhalla
Related Content
Claims (5)
If your body has too much insulin for a long time, it can make your kidneys hold onto more salt, which increases your blood volume and raises your blood pressure—even if you're not eating too much salt.
When scientists turned off insulin's signal in the kidney tubes of obese, insulin-resistant mice, the mice didn't hold onto salt as much — showing that insulin in the kidneys helps control salt balance in obesity.
Mice that had their insulin receptors turned off in kidney tubes didn’t get as high blood pressure when given a hormone that usually raises it — suggesting insulin in the kidneys might play a role in blood pressure control when the body has trouble using insulin properly.
Insulin makes your kidneys hold onto salt, even if you're not eating much of it.
Mice on a high-fat diet hold onto more salt because their kidneys are reabsorbing more of it through a specific pathway—this was shown by giving them a water pill and seeing they flushed out way more salt than mice on a low-fat diet.