In an ongoing study in healthy subjects with decreased insulin sensitivity, we found that 6-month treatment with acetylcarnitine - an ester of l-carnitine - improved the glucose disposal rate, taken as a marker of insulin sensitivity. Amelioration of insulin sensitivity was associated with a significant and clinically relevant reduction in systolic blood pressure without appreciable changes in diastolic blood pressure. Whether blood pressure reduction reflected the amelioration of insulin sensitivity or, rather, a direct, specific effect of acetylcarnitine is still unknown.