Obesity is a major public health concern that greatly increases risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Importantly, obesity is associated with endothelial dysfunction and elevated sympathetic tone, vascular and autonomic derangements known to elevate blood pressure and increase cardiovascular risk. The renin-angiotensin system may explain cardiovascular complications in obesity. Angiotensin-(1-7) is a beneficial hormone that is reduced in obesity and restoration of this hormone improves endothelial function and reduces sympathetic activity in animal models, which may contribute to its blood pressure-lowering effects. The investigators will test the hypothesis that angiotensin-(1-7) improves cardiovascular function in humans with obesity hypertension. This hypothesis will be tested in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. The investigators will measure the effects of acute intravenous angiotensin-(1-7) infusion on endothelial-mediated vasodilation in the brachial and coronary arteries and on blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity with direct microneurography recordings in obese hypertensive humans.
The purpose of this study is to find out if the investigational drug angiotensin-(1-7) improves cardiovascular health in patients with obesity and high blood pressure.