Plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and percent glycosylated hemoglobin are unaltered by food restriction in rhesus and squirrel monkeys.

Plasma concentrations of glucose and percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin have been reported to be reduced in food-restricted rats when compared with ad libitum-fed controls (Masoro et al., 1989). A similar experiment in primates, in which we also measured plasma insulin, is reported in this article. Rhesus and squirrel monkeys were fed either ad libitum or 30% less than weight-matched controls for up to 36 months. No significant age or diet effects on plasma concentration of glucose, insulin, or percentage glycosylated hemoglobin were observed, except that glucose concentration decreased with age in ad libitum-fed rhesus monkeys. Moreover, no correlations between glucose levels and the percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin could be established within any group of animals. These results suggest possible differences in glucose-related metabolism in ad libitum and food-restricted primates as compared to observations made in rats.