Researchers, managers and conservationists in the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, have reported cases of individual baboons (Papio ursinus) appearing overweight, lethargic and having poor teeth. Despite an intensive baboon management programme, there are certain individual baboons and troops that continue to raid human food sources. These food sources often are high in processed carbohydrates and saturated fats. As this diet is highly associated with obesity, insulin resistance and type II diabetes, the present study aimed to establish if these baboons may be at risk of developing insulin resistance. Post mortem muscle samples from 17 Cape Peninsula and 7 control adult male baboons were rapidly frozen in liquid nitrogen and analysed for insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), oxidative and glycolytic markers of metabolism (citrate synthase, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activities), and muscle fibre morphology. The sampled Peninsula baboons were heavier (33 ± 2 vs. 29 ± 2 kg, P < 0.05) and had a higher frequency of poor teeth compared to control baboons. Muscle fibre type, fibre size, GLUT4 content, oxidative and glycolytic metabolism were not different between the two groups. However, IRS-1 content, a marker of insulin sensitivity, was significantly lower (by 43%, P < 0.001) in the Peninsula baboons compared to the controls. This study provides the first indirect evidence that some Peninsula baboons with a history of raiding human food sources, may be at risk of developing insulin resistance in the wild, with long term implications for population health.

南非开普半岛的研究人员，管理人员和保护主义者都报告了个别狒狒的病例（Papio ursinus）表现超重，嗜睡和牙齿不好。尽管加强了狒狒管理计划，但仍有某些狒狒和部队继续袭击人类的食物来源。这些食物来源通常含有大量加工的碳水化合物和饱和脂肪。由于这种饮食与肥胖，胰岛素抵抗和II型糖尿病高度相关，因此本研究旨在确定这些狒狒是否有发展胰岛素抵抗的风险。将来自17个开普半岛和7个成年雄性狒狒的尸体肌肉样品在液氮中快速冷冻，并分析胰岛素受体底物1（IRS-1），葡萄糖转运蛋白4（GLUT4），新陈代谢的氧化和糖酵解标志物（柠檬酸合酶） ，3-羟酰基辅酶A脱氢酶，乳酸脱氢酶和肌酸激酶活性）和肌纤维形态。P  <0.05），并且与对照组狒狒相比，牙齿不良的频率更高。两组之间的肌纤维类型，纤维大小，GLUT4含量，氧化和糖酵解代谢无差异。但是， 与对照组相比，半岛狒狒中的IRS-1含量（胰岛素敏感性的标志物）显着降低（降低了43％，P <0.001）。这项研究提供了第一个间接证据，即一些具有人类食粮袭击历史的半岛狒狒可能在野外有发展胰岛素抵抗的风险，对人口健康具有长期影响。