Sexually Frustrated Fruit Flies Live Shorter Lives

First Posted: Nov 28, 2013 05:20 PM EST
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Fruit flies that have a better sex life may also live longer, according to a recent study by University of Michigan researchers.

They studied the sexual pheromones that male fruit flies found from their female partners, which gave a better indicator of mating selection and success. Fruit flies involved in less frequent sex activity also experienced rapid decreases in fat stores, resistance to starvation and more stress. In turn, they also lived shorter lives.

Yet for many, mating reversed this negative affect on both health and aging.

"Our findings give us a better understanding about how sensory perception and physiological state are integrated in the brain to affect long-term health and lifespan," senior author Scott D. Pletcher, Ph.D, professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the U-M Medical School and research professor at the U-M Geriatrics Center said, via a press release. "The cutting-edge genetics and neurobiology used in this research suggests to us that for fruit flies at least, it may not be a myth that sexual frustration is a health issue. Expecting sex without any sexual reward was detrimental to their health and cut their lives short."

Scientists used sensory manipulations to give the common male fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster the perception that they were in a sexually rich environment by exposing them to genetically engineered males that produced female pheromones.

"These data may provide the first direct evidence that aging and physiology are influenced by how the brain processes expectations and rewards," Pletcher says. "In this case, sexual rewards specifically promoted healthy aging."

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Science

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