It is well known that feeding a toxic substance can activate metabolic pathways that can detox other unrelated toxins. In this case quercetin is fairly toxic. It is about 25 times less toxic than sodium cyanide and about 21 times more toxic than table salt for instance in mammals. So, it is of zero surprise to me that feeding a diet with the toxin quercetin in it that you find some pesticides are also metabolized better than in the absence of quercetin. The last I knew the one remaining legal use for DDT in the US was for exactly this same type of use. It was registered by FDA as an antidote to some specific kinds of acute chemical poisons in humans as DDT is hard to metabolize and induces the liver to kick into high gear getting rid of the DDT and as a total by product also gets rid of the acutely toxic materials at the same time. Based on the logic in this bee publication I guess the government should recommend some minimum daily consumption of DDT by humans to help protect their health.
In my opinion this study gives misleading conclusions and as a result is miserably poor science and should never have hit print.
Dick
--------------------------------------------
On Thu, 3/2/17, Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Subject: [BEE-L] New evidence favoring natural diets for bees
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Thursday, March 2, 2017, 12:15 PM
New evidence favoring natural diets
for bees:
In this study, p-coumaric acid and quercetin, ubiquitous
phytochemicals in the natural diet of
honey bees, generally have a beneficial effect on honey bee
longevity, most dramatically in the case of
dietary quercetin in the presence of two pyrethroid
insecticides.
Previous studies have shown that,
in honey bees, malnutrition can increase sensitivity to
pesticides [36], reduce immunocompetence [37]
and alter gene expression in protein metabolism and
oxidation-reduction in fat body [38].
Together, these findings suggest that substituting sugar
syrups for honey or yeast/soy flour patties for pollen
may not only cause malnutrition but may also have
unanticipated effects on lifespan in the presence
of environmental stressors.
Liao, Ling-Hsiu, Wen-Yen Wu, and May R. Berenbaum. "Impacts
of Dietary Phytochemicals in the Presence and Absence of
Pesticides on Longevity of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)."
Insects 8.1 (2017): 22.
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