The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 127 No. 10 October 1997, pp. 2000-2005
Copyright ©1997 by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences

The Western Lowland Gorilla Diet Has Implications for the Health of Humans and Other Hominoids

David G. Popovich^{*, **}, David J. A. Jenkins^{*, , **,} , Cyril W. C. Kendall^{*, **}, Ellen S. Dierenfeld, Richard W. Carroll, Nauman Tariq^{*, **}, and Edward Vidgen^*

^* Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center and  Division of Endocrinology, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada; ^** Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;  Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY; and  World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC

We studied the western lowland gorilla diet as a possible model for human nutrient requirements with implications for colonic function. Gorillas in the Central African Republic were identified as consuming over 200 species and varieties of plants and 100 species and varieties of fruit. Thirty-one of the most commonly consumed foods were collected and dried locally before shipping for macronutrient and fiber analysis. The mean macronutrient concentrations were (mean ± SD, g/100 g dry basis) fat 0.5 ± 0.4, protein 11.8 ± 8.2, available carbohydrate 7.7 ± 6.3 and dietary fiber 74.0 ± 12.9. Assuming that the macronutrient profile of these foods was reflective of the whole gorilla diet and that dietary fiber contributed 6.28 kJ/g (1.5 kcal/g), then the gorilla diet would provide 810 kJ (194 kcal) metabolizable energy per 100 g dry weight. The macronutrient profile of this diet would be as follows: 2.5% energy as fat, 24.3% protein, 15.8% available carbohydrate, with potentially 57.3% of metabolizable energy from short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) derived from colonic fermentation of fiber. Gorillas would therefore obtain considerable energy through fiber fermentation. We suggest that humans also evolved consuming similar high foliage, high fiber diets, which were low in fat and dietary cholesterol. The macronutrient and fiber profile of the gorilla diet is one in which the colon is likely to play a major role in overall nutrition. Both the nutrient and fiber components of such a diet and the functional capacity of the hominoid colon may have important dietary implications for contemporary human health.