Check Your Cupboard For a Great Way to Kill Fruit Flies
Call me crazy but I'm not sure I would want my
sweetener to also serve as an insecticide. CBS News reported on a
study concerning Truvia, an alternative sweetener that also has been under fire for its misleading "All Natural" labeling.
"Erythritol, the main component of the sweetener, Truvia, has a new, unexpected application -- it may be used as an insecticide. ...Researchers found that fruit flies fed with food that included erythritol or the erythritol-containing sweetener Truvia died much sooner than flies fed with food containing other types of sweeteners.
"The more you get [fruit flies] to consume the faster they die," Sean O'Donnell, a professor of biology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, told CBS News.
"We are hoping to develop it into a human-safe insecticide," O'Donnell later says in the story.
The study came about when one of the researchers decided to cut sugar from their diet and find a
"healthy" alternative. It was their
sixth grade son who came up with the idea to
feed each sweetener to fruit flies. After 6 days, all of the flies fed with Truvia were dead while the other fruit flies that consumed other sweeteners lived 6-10 times longer . This led to the
Drexel University study. 
One would think that the main ingredient of Truvia is stevia, an all natural sweetener. However, the only ingredients are 95% erythritol, rebiana and natural flavors.
First, let's look at the
95% main ingredient of Truvia, which is
erythritol. This is a sugar alcohol. However, the most disconcerting areas of concern is that erythritol is made by processing genetically modified corn. That's
GMO corn or frankenfood that is
outlawed in many countries around the world (not by the US, though...).
GMOs are also the prime suspect in the rampant death of bees. Second,
rebiana is
half of one percent of Truvia barely making a dent. It also is derived form a molecule of the stevia plant, but not directly.
Finally, there is a small amount of
natural flavors. Since the FDA does not regulate terms such as "natural,"
we actually have no idea what that means.What does this all mean? First, watch out for marketing. If it seems to be
too good to be "Truvia,"
it probably is. I think I'll stick to sweetening my tea
with a little honey and put out the Truvia if I want to kill off fruit flies.
All material in this newsletter is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this publication;instead readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The information provided has not been approved the Food & Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease.
