The course of development of glucose intolerance in the monkey (Macaca mulatta).

Longitudinal studies of the rhesus monkey reveal a syndrome of diabetes mellitus in those that become middle-aged and obese. The sequence of events in the development of the disease progresses from normoinsulinemia with normoglycemia through stages of hyperinsulinemia followed by below normal insulin levels with hyperglycemia and glycosuria. We believe the rhesus to be an excellent nonhuman primate model for maturity-onset diabetes in humans.