Microvascular dysfunction in healthy insulin-sensitive overweight individuals

BMI was inversely correlated with resting capillary density. This suggests a lower baseline tissue perfusion associated with higher vasomotor tone. Despite this, capillary recruitment was higher in overweight as compared with lean individuals, resulting in similar capillary density during venous congestion. Our results suggest that skin microcirculation abnormalities, in the absence of endothelial dysfunction, may be one of the earliest detectable alterations in vascular function in overweight individuals.