Whenever we plan for undergoing a diet program, the first struggle we face is which one to follow? As a result, we keep changing and switching our diets programs. But did you know that this change may harm your health?! A recent study, published in the journal Science Advances, found that a switch from restricted diet to a rich diet can decrease life expectancy. This study was conducted on fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster), where the researchers fed the latter with restricted diet and then returned them to a rich diet.
The researchers, including those from the University of Sheffield in the UK and Brown University in the United States, in the study stated, "Current evolutionary theory predicts that organisms invest in their soma (the body as distinct from the soul, mind, or psyche) during dietary restriction, and thus when resource availability improves, should outcompete rich-fed controls in survival and/or reproduction. Testing this prediction in Drosophilia melanogaster, our experiments revealed substantial, unexpected mortality costs when flies returned to a rich diet following dietary restriction."
As per the study, it was found that long-switch treatment "resulted in a substantial increase in mortality risk compared with flies kept on a rich diet throughout life; and mortality peaked immediately after the switch from a restricted to a rich diet." In this regard, researchers feel that dietary restriction might have made thee flies incompetent for rich diets.
This new study can help people to understand the reason behind diet's intense effect on health, which may escalate the need for medical intervention on dietary restriction.
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