With the improvement of human material living standards and the change of lifestyle associated with modern living, metabolic?related diseases, which affect the health of people globally, have become an important issue. To study the occurrence, development, transformation, and prevention of this kind of disease, it is vital to construct an appropriate animal model. Tree shrews (Scandentia animals) have a closer phylogenetic relationship with primates, which makes the former a useful animal model, compared with the widely used rodent models, for the simulation of disease. At present, animal models including for diabetes, atherosclerosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver, gallstones, and osteoporosis have been established using tree shrews, and their mechanisms and related factors have been studied. This article outlines the progress of research on tree shrews for insights into human metabolic diseases.