Type II diabetes mellitus is rapidly becoming a global pandemic with a deleterious impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Understanding its pathophysiology is important for the development of future therapeutic interventions. Emerging evidence suggests interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction and the development of insulin resistance. Interestingly, mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue are early events in the development of type II diabetes mellitus and are proposed to play a role in exacerbating insulin resistance. Although it has been demonstrated that skeletal muscle of insulin-resistant individuals has reduced mitochondria and mitochondrial dysfunction, whether this disruption of mitochondrial function is more widespread has not been explored. We hypothesize that this disruption of mitochondrial function is more systemic and thereby may contribute to the development of peripheral insulin resistance and possibly promote the myriad of complications associated with diabetes.