For fruit flies, artificial sweets are not that sweet. Fruit flies can live on average 45 to 60 days, but those grown in tubes containing Truvia only live for an average of 5.8 days.
Truvia is the best-selling sugar substitute in the United States. Studies have shown that 6 other sweeteners (4 artificial and 2 natural) have no effect on the lifespan of fruit flies. The research team recently published the report online in "Public Science Library · Synthesis".
Researchers also found that fruit flies that eat Truvia have difficulty climbing on the vial, which indicates that their motor function is impaired. The research team found that the problem is that the other 6 sweeteners do not contain a unique ingredient of Truvia: erythritol, which is a commonly used food additive approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Researchers say this is the first evidence that erythritol can be used as an effective insecticide (at least against fruit flies).