A number of population based studies showed that intact proinsulin is a strong predictor of coronary heart disease in diabetic, and in non-diabetic patients. In a clinical trial investigating human proinsulin as a therapeutic approach for the treatment of diabetes mellitus an eight fold increase in CVD was found during treatment with human proinsulin compared to human regular insulin, indicating a thrombo-embolic potential of intact proinsulin. In a recent investigation an association could be confirmed between increased proinsulin plasma concentrations and the severity of angiographical characterised CHD.