Optimum ratio of dietary protein and carbohydrate that maximises lifespan is shared among related insect species

Abstract

Animals often regulate the intake and quantity of nutrients to maximise fitness through life‐history traits such as lifespan, but we still lack a proper understanding of how specific nutrients influence these traits. Here, I developed an algorithm which allowed me to create a nutrient‐specific database from literature data, and investigated how the requirements of protein (P) and carbohydrate (C) needed to maximise lifespan evolved across nine insect species. I found moderate evidence of a phylogenetic signal on the optimal ratio of protein to carbohydrate ratio (PC ratio) that maximised lifespan, suggesting that optimal PC ratio for lifespan could have evolved non‐independently among related species. I also found evidence for weak‐to‐strong sex‐specific optimal PC ratios for lifespan, suggesting that sex‐specific nutritional needs to maximise lifespan can emerge and persist in some species. Although limited in the number of species, the approach adopted here is portable to experiments with number of nutrients and, thus, can be used in complex comparative precision nutrition studies for insights into the evolution of animal nutrition.

Turmeric shortens lifespan in houseflies

“… 29 , 34 – 37 , 71 ). In fact, a recent comparative nutrition study showed that lifespan is maximized at lower protein-to-carbohydrate ratios, and that Dipterans often survive the longest in sugar-rich diets ( 72 ). It is important to note that, because there are no holidic diet developed for houseflies in the literature, we cannot interpret our results in relation to protein and carbohydrate ratios alone since our manipulation of protein source also varied other micronutrients which might be important for survival.…”

Adult Feeding Experience Determines the Fecundity and Preference of the Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata (F.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

“…Numerous researchers utilizing the Geometric Framework for Nutrition (GFN) model have demonstrated that an optimal ratio of protein to carbohydrates enables insects to achieve superior growth, development, and reproductive performance. High protein and low carbohydrate diets, or conversely, low protein and high carbohydrate diets, adversely affect the growth, development, and reproduction of insects [49][50][51][52]. For example, Lee (2008) [51] and Fanson (2009) [53] found that when Drosophila melanogaster and Bactrocera tryoni were fed diets with a lower protein-to-carbohydrate ratio (p:c = 1:16), they exhibited the longest adult lifespans but the lowest fecundity.…”