LIPOPROTEIN PROFILES AND GLUCOSE-TOLERANCE IN LEAN AND OBESE CHIMPANZEES

We compared serum lipid profiles and glucose tolerance of obese and le an chimpanzees maintained on a 10.9% fat diet. Seven of 14 obese and 6 of 17 lean chimpanzees were hypercholesterolemic (low density lipopro tein cholesterol > 160 mg/dl), three obese and three lean animals had total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios of 5.9-1 0.7, and two obese and one lean chimpanzee had abnormal glucose tolera nce. Useful numbers of captive chimpanzees thus exhibit metabolic abno rmalities without recourse to high fat diets and could serve as surrog ates in studies of human metabolic diseases.