Does dietary restriction really increase longevity in Drosophila melanogaster?
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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Measurement of Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: January 7, 2013
1Centre de Recherche Sur la Cognition Animale, UMR CNRS 5169, Université Paul-Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France. lebourg@cict.fr
Abstract:
It is often accepted that dietary restriction (DR) increases longevity in most species so far tested. Showing the same result in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster would be of interest, because this species is widely used in aging research. Some studies have shown that dietary restriction decreases longevity in this species while the opposite result has also been reported. However, some recent results appear to be flawed due to the use of not optimal control rearing conditions. It is argued that, for the time being, it cannot be concluded that dietary restriction increases longevity in D. melanogaster. It has also been shown in other fly species that dietary restriction does not increase longevity.

