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Fruit Fly's Sweetheart
16 March 2013

Fruit Fly's Sweetheart

Fruit flies are so named because of their penchant for sweet tasty fruits, but even they shouldn’t go overboard with the sugar. Just like humans who overindulge their sweet tooth, fruit flies given a high-sugar diet develop heart problems – including weakened pump activity, irregular heartbeat, and accumulation of fibrous tissue – all of which can shorten lifespan. Although a fruit fly’s heart is just a simple tubular pump (seen running left to right across the centre of the picture), quite different to the four-chambered human heart, the high-sugar-induced defects are remarkably similar. For example, people with adult-onset diabetes – where blood sugar levels are too high – have a higher risk of weakened heart muscles and heart failure. By studying these teeny weeny insect hearts scientists can discover molecular pathways that might link blood sugar to heart defects in man.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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