INS and diabetes mellitus: In addition to the widely accepted role of aging and increased body weight, hypertension may contribute to the onset of diabetes through the following pathways: (1) reducing the delivery of insulin and glucose by decreasing blood flow of skeletal muscle, the major uptaker of body glucose, due to increased vasoconstriction and vascular rarefaction; (2) diminishing insulin-sensitivity of skeletal muscle slow-twitch fibers; and (3) decreasing insulin postreceptor signaling through PI3K-Akt pathway.