Why blood flow in muscles matters for sugar control
Muscle microvascular blood flow responses in insulin resistance and ageing
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Microvascular dysfunction can *cause* insulin resistance, not just result from it.
Most assume insulin resistance starts in muscle or liver cells, but this review presents evidence that vascular defects appear earlier and can independently impair glucose uptake.
Practical Takeaways
Support microvascular health through exercise, nitric oxide-boosting foods (like beets and leafy greens), and blood pressure control to potentially delay insulin resistance.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Microvascular dysfunction can *cause* insulin resistance, not just result from it.
Most assume insulin resistance starts in muscle or liver cells, but this review presents evidence that vascular defects appear earlier and can independently impair glucose uptake.
Practical Takeaways
Support microvascular health through exercise, nitric oxide-boosting foods (like beets and leafy greens), and blood pressure control to potentially delay insulin resistance.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Physiology
Year
2016
Authors
M. Keske, Dino Premilovac, E. A. Bradley, R. Dwyer, S. Richards, S. Rattigan
Related Content
Claims (5)
Insulin helps open up blood vessels in your muscles, letting more blood through so nutrients like creatine can get to the muscle cells more easily.
When the tiny blood vessels in muscles don't respond well to insulin, it's linked to being overweight, having insulin resistance, and getting older — and this might actually happen before the muscle cells themselves become resistant to insulin.
In rats, eating a diet that's a bit high in fat or salt messes up blood vessel function in muscles before the muscle cells themselves become resistant to insulin — and that blood vessel problem alone can slow down how much sugar the muscles take in.
Insulin helps more blood flow to muscles in rats and people by using a substance called nitric oxide, which helps sugar get into muscle cells better.
When mice have a broken insulin signal in their blood vessel lining, their muscles don’t get enough sugar—even if the muscle cells themselves work fine—because the blood flow to the muscles drops.