Central (abdominal) obesity is associated with elevated adrenergic activity and arterial blood pressure (BP). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that transduction of spontaneous muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) to BP, i.e., sympathetic transduction, is augmented in abdominal obesity (increased waist circumference) and positively related to prevailing BP.
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Inclusion Criteria: * Nonsmokers * free of metabolic or neurological disease * waist circumference \> 102 cm for men and \> 88 cm for women or waist circumference was \< 94 cm for men and \< 80 cm for women. Exclusion Criteria: * Use of anti-hypertensive medications * history of diabetes * history of smoking within 3 months prior to study participation * hypertension determined by 24-hour ambulatory average BP (\<130/80 mmHg).