Gender differences in hypertrophy, insulin resistance and ischemic injury in the aging type 2 diabetic rat heart.

Aging and diabetes in women increase their susceptibility to myocardial ischemic injury, but the cellular mechanisms involved are not understood. Consequently, we studied the influence of gender on cardiac insulin resistance and ischemic injury in the aging of Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, a model of type 2 diabetes. Male and female GK rats had heart/body weight ratios 29% (P < 0.