Key points from article :
Fruit fly Drosophila used as a model to study ageing and metabolism.
Fed sugar-rich diet, the more sugar added, the earlier they die.
Their shortened lifespan completely rescued when given extra water to drink.
Unexpectedly, these flies are still fat and insulin resistant.
Reduced survival, independent of metabolic defects induced by high-sugar feeding.
It is rather linked to the water imbalance.
Study focused on renal system as it is instrinsically related to water balance.
Flies developed kidney stones composed of uric acid(UA), on a sugar-rich diet.
UA levels increase with age, can predict onset of metabolic diseases like diabetes.
Purine pathway disruption is limiting for survival in high-sugar-fed flies.
Their early death is not a direct consequence of obesity itself.
Research by MRC Redox Metabolism Group, published in Cell Metabolism.
