Effects of Organic Food on Drosophila Melanogaster
Effects of Organic Food on Drosophila Melanogaster
A new study has shown that fruit flies that lived on organic foods tended to be healthier than those that lived on conventional foods. The two things that researchers based their conclusions for health on were fertility and longevity. These two things are two important aspects to a fly’s life. On both of these tests, the flies that were fed organic food performed better than the flies that were fed conventional food. They survived for a longer period of time, had higher fertility, and had a much higher lifetime reproductive output." Researchers are still working hard to find the reason for the positive effect of organic food on fruit flies. However, there have been several ideas and hypotheses about what caused these results. Studies have shown that organic food has “higher levels of nutrients, increased protein content, increased antioxidants, and more unsaturated fatty acids.” In addition, organic food has been shown to contain lower levels of nitrates, which might explain its effect on the longevity of fruit flies. This study may be able disprove a study made in 2012 that organic food is no healthier than conventional food. By studying these fruit flies and drawing conclusions, we may soon be able to apply the same techniques and studies on humans. However, we must find the reason why organic food is healthier than conventional food before we can proceed so we can adapt to the discrepancies between flies and humans. Then will we be able to produce organic food or genetically modified foods that will have the same effects on humans as it had on flies: increased longevity and improved fertility. A leading researcher in this field is Dr. Johannes H. Bauer. Dr. Bauer works as an assistant professor in Dedman College in SMU. He is mostly interested in studying Drosophila Melanogaster, especially the development of type 2 diabetes in Drosophila Melanogaster. He is also a co-author of the Plos One
A new study has shown that fruit flies that lived on organic foods tended to be healthier than those that lived on conventional foods. The two things that researchers based their conclusions for health on were fertility and longevity. These two things are two important aspects to a fly’s life. On both of these tests, the flies that were fed organic food performed better than the flies that were fed conventional food. They survived for a longer period of time, had higher fertility, and had a much higher lifetime reproductive output." Researchers are still working hard to find the reason for the positive effect of organic food on fruit flies. However, there have been several ideas and hypotheses about what caused these results. Studies have shown that organic food has “higher levels of nutrients, increased protein content, increased antioxidants, and more unsaturated fatty acids.” In addition, organic food has been shown to contain lower levels of nitrates, which might explain its effect on the longevity of fruit flies. This study may be able disprove a study made in 2012 that organic food is no healthier than conventional food. By studying these fruit flies and drawing conclusions, we may soon be able to apply the same techniques and studies on humans. However, we must find the reason why organic food is healthier than conventional food before we can proceed so we can adapt to the discrepancies between flies and humans. Then will we be able to produce organic food or genetically modified foods that will have the same effects on humans as it had on flies: increased longevity and improved fertility. A leading researcher in this field is Dr. Johannes H. Bauer. Dr. Bauer works as an assistant professor in Dedman College in SMU. He is mostly interested in studying Drosophila Melanogaster, especially the development of type 2 diabetes in Drosophila Melanogaster. He is also a co-author of the Plos One