Supporting the involvement of insulin resistance-associated vascular dysfunction in SSBP are observations in Dahl salt sensitive rats, which after a high salt diet exhibit hypertension, metabolic insulin resistance, impaired insulin-dependent activation of PI3K/endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), and impaired NO-mediated vasorelaxation (Zhou et al., 2009, 2010). This evidence concerns the gene INS and hypertensive disorder.