Feeding on frozen live yeast has some deleterious effects in Drosophila melanogaster

Many experiments have shown that dietary restriction, for instance by removing live yeast or modifying the protein/carbohydrate ratio, can modulate lifespan, fecundity, resistance to severe stresses and behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster flies. The present study tested whether feeding flies with frozen yeast rather than with fresh yeast could have some effect on these traits, the other components of the food being similar in the two groups. Freezing altered live yeast quality and flies feeding on frozen yeast lived slightly less (males), were less fecund at older ages, and poorly resisted to some severe stresses (cold and starvation), no negative effect being observed on resistance to heat. It seems that, like in humans, feeding on a low quality food can negatively impact healthspan and that an appropriate food is not only a food with optimal number of calories and appropriate ratios of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat.