News in Easy English: Riken says fruit fly test proves old Japanese saying about eating

Japan's Riken research institute has discovered a protein that may explain why eating less food early in life can make fruit flies live longer. This finding aligns with an old Japanese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full, and you won't need a doctor."

In the study, the Riken team used fruit flies for an experiment, as they have short lives and are easy to study from birth to death. The researchers limited the flies' food intake during their larval stage, which is a young phase after hatching. They observed that these flies lived about 20% longer than flies with no food restrictions. Both male and female flies lived an average of 50 to 60 and 50 to 70 days, respectively.

The team also uncovered that a specific protein called Lsp2, found in ribosomes (small parts inside cells), helps control the lifespan of the flies. When they stopped Lsp2 from working, the lifespan increased by around 20%. Interestingly, adult flies that ate less food were about 10% smaller but still laid 30% fewer eggs compared to flies where Lsp2 did not function. This suggests that Lsp2 is not involved in growth or egg production.

Riken team leader Fumiaki Obata emphasized that they still need to determine if similar effects occur in humans. While there are proteins in humans with similar functions to Lsp2, further research is needed to suggest potential dietary changes that could help people stay healthy.