Eating a lot of sugar makes fruit flies have smaller guts and smaller bodies overall.

Scientific Claim

High sugar consumption is associated with reduced gut and overall body size in Drosophila melanogaster.

Original Statement

“HS reduced overall adult weight (Fig. 5B), gut length (Fig. 5C) and gut diameter (Fig. 5D), whereas TWEEN 20 and salt did not.”

From study:Effect of dietary additives on intestinal permeability in both Drosophila and a human cell co-culture

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The study used animal models without human randomization or control, so it can only show association, not causation. The language 'associated with' appropriately reflects the study design.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Effect of dietary additives on intestinal permeability in both Drosophila and a human cell co-culture

Cannot Determine

Animal

2018 Nov 28

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Effect of dietary additives on intestinal permeability in both Drosophila and a human cell co-culture

Score: 3

DOI: 10.1242/dmm.034520

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Eating a lot of sugar causes changes in the structural proteins of the gut wall in fruit flies, making them more disorganized.

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Eating a lot of sugar makes the gut more leaky in fruit flies and human gut cells in a lab setting, which can be seen when blue dye leaks out of the gut in flies or when a special dye passes through gut cells more easily.

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Eating a lot of sugar makes a protective enzyme called intestinal alkaline phosphatase less active in fruit flies and human gut cells in a lab setting.

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The bacteria in the gut interact with sugar to affect how leaky the gut is in fruit flies and human gut cells in a lab setting.

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