The insulinotropic gut hormone, glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been proposed to have effects on vascular function and glucose disposal. However, whether GLP-1 is able to increase microvascular recruitment (MVR) in humans has not been investigated. GLP-1 was infused in the femoral artery in overnight fasted healthy young men. Microvascular recruitment was measured with real time contrast-enhanced ultrasound and leg glucose uptake by the leg balance technique with and without inhibition of the insulinotropic response of GLP-1 by co-infusion of octreotide. As a positive control, MVR and leg glucose uptake were measured during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. Infusion of GLP-1 caused a rapid increase (P<0.05) of 20%±12% (mean ± SE) in MVR in the vastus lateralis muscle of the infused leg after 5 min and MVR further increased to 60%±8% above pre-infusion levels by 60 min infusion. The effect was slightly slower but similar in magnitude in the non-infused contralateral leg in which GLP-1 concentration was within the physiological range. Octreotide-infusion did not prevent the GLP-1 induced increase in MVR. GLP-1 infusion did not increase leg glucose uptake with or without octreotide co-infusion. GLP-1 infusion in rats increased MVR by 28% (P<0.05) but did not increase muscle glucose uptake. During the hyperinsulinemic clamp, MVR increased ~40% and leg glucose uptake increased 24 fold. It is concluded that GLP-1 in physiological concentrations causes a rapid insulin-independent increase in muscle MVR, but does not affect muscle glucose uptake. Thus, increasing microvascular recruitment without concomitant direct effects on muscle does not increase glucose uptake.