The origins of metabolic dysfunction, explained by aging fruit flies

A group of researchers from the Buck Institute discovered that metabolic balance is disrupted after flies age. They report that there`s a strong relation between the Foxo gene and fruit flies and they`re analyzing this relation in their study, published in Cell Reports. Jason Karpac, PhD, Assistant Research Professor at the Buck and study leader talks about the dietary changes in animals and its relation with insulin signaling. He reports that the Foxo genes can chronically turned on in animals and lead to a general inflammatory condition of the gut. Karpac works in collaboration with Heinrich Jasper in this study, PhD, lead scientist from the Buck Institute faculty. Their goal is identify changes related to metabolic aging in metabolic pathways. “Our aim is to develop treatments that would preserve well-functioning metabolism as part of healthy aging – something that would likely not ever include indulging in candy binges”, said Jason.