Hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance are strongly linked with essential hypertension (EH) and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), both of which afflict African American women with greater incidence, morbidity, and mortality compared to Caucasians. The insulin resistance syndrome is often characterized by upper body obesity. In women, this body morphology is related to higher levels of androgens. In young adult African Americans the investigators have detected significant gender differences in both hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, with African American women exhibiting higher plasma insulin and greater insulin resistance compared to men