Study Proves Insulin Resistance and Heart Failure Connection

Insulin resistance is a major contributor to the link between heart failure and diabetes. A study of 1187 men aged 70 and older indicated that the participants with insulin resistance faced a greater risk of developing congestive heart failure (CHF), compared with participants whose bodies responded positively to insulin.

During 8.9 years of follow-up, 104 of the participants developed CHF. Furthermore, "insulin resistance predicted CHF incidence independently of diabetes and other risk factors for CHF," wrote the investigators in the Journal of the American Medical Association (July 20, 2005).