thetic and parasympathetic nervous systems by means of beat-to-beat regulation of heart rate. 12 Recently, we reported that HRV was strongly associated with IR and insulin sensitivity in a Japanese population, 13 and we speculated that this was linked to dysfunction of the hepatic insulin-sensitizing substance (HISS) pathway, which is controlled by vagal tone. 14,15 Thus, low HRV resulting from parasympathetic dysfunction is likely to precede impaired insulin function 16 and increased inflammatory activity, 17 thus raising CVD risk. Several studies have documented the association between HRV and MetS, 18 but few have considered the influence of IR and insulin sensitivity on this association in the general population.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a diagnosis involving clustered cardiovascular risk factors. 1 Pathologically, insulin resistance (IR) or impaired insulin sensitivity is considered to be the underlying mechanism of MetS. 2,3 Despite differing MetS definitions across ethnicities, the accumulation of multiple risk factors has been shown to significantly elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes or sudden cardiac death. 4-7Heart rate variability (HRV) is regulated predominantly by cardiac vagal tone, and lower HRV has been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and CVD in epidemiologic studies. 8-11 HRV assessment is a useful noninvasive tool that reflects the activity of the sympa- Background: Insulin resistance is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS), but it is not known how this association is influenced by the autonomic nervous system, which controls insulin secretion.