Recent studies have indicated that hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are significantly correlated to left ventricular (LV) long-axis function, and it seems that optimized glycemic control is significantly related to improved LV function. The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between glucose metabolism, lipid levels and LV long-axis function in normal subjects. The study population consisted of 20 unselected male patients, free of medication and without history of cardiac disease. The main outcome measures were LV systolic strain rate in the long-axis plane, examined by tissue Doppler echocardiography and fasting values of plasma glucose, insulin, cholesterol and triglycerides. The mean systolic strain rate was found to correlate significantly to age (r(2) = 0.34, p < 0.01), fasting blood glucose levels (r(2) = 0.25, p < 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (r(2) = 0.38, p < 0.01). however, did not correlate significantly to traditional measures of insulin resistance like truncal body fat, fasting insulin or triglyceride levels. In conclusion, LV systolic function seems significantly related to fasting levels of glucose and LDL cholesterol in normal subjects.