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Atherosclerosis is a major cause of debilitation and mortality in the United States and worldwide. Its sequelae of heart disease and strokes account for approximately one-third of all deaths in the United States (1). Individuals with metabolic syndrome and/ or type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are at markedly increased risk for developing atherosclerosis. Furthermore, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in diabetes (2). Unfortunately, a recent analysis of data from the Framingham Heart Study shows that the proportion of CVD that can be attributed to diabetes has increased over the 50 years of the study (3). Insulin resistance is a key underlying feature of both metabolic syndrome and T2DM. Specific mechanisms for the association between insulin resistance and atherosclerosis are incompletely understood, but many investigators have shed light on this complex and important clinical problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]