Mass gainer increases cold resistance in Drosophila melanogaster

Mass gainer is a powdered supplement that combines carbohydrates and protein which is usually used to increase body mass.  A lot of people especially athletes and body builders consume mass gainers due to their beneficial effects on nutrition and health. In insects, food composition can have a strong effect on cold tolerance, in the present study Drosophila melanogaster was cultured in on wheat cream agar, 10g mass gainer, and 20g mass gainer. Flies obtained from these media were used to determine the effect of mass gainer on cold resistance. The results showed that flies raised in 20g of mass gainer media had greater cold resistance compared to flies that were given mass gainer of 10g which had an average cold resistance whereas flies that were reared on wheat cream agar media showed the least cold resistance. The present study also reveals that female flies were greater cold resistance than males on these three diets. In addition, mated female flies and unmated female flies, mated female flies had greater cold resistance on these three types of diets. However, in male we found mated male had greater cold resistance than unmated males. Thus, these studies suggests that mass gainer increases cold resistance in D. melanogaster.