Combined effects of GSM 1800MHz smartphone radiation and antioxidant-rich diets on Drosophila melanogaster survival and reproduction

¹ Dept. of Tropical Biology, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
² Entomology Lab., Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: dsudaryadi@ugm.ac.id

Abstract

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) from devices like smartphones can negatively affect health through both thermal and non-thermal mechanisms. Thermal effects involve temperature changes that disrupt metabolism, while non-thermal effects can impair the nervous, hormonal, reproductive, and cardiovascular systems and potentially increase cancer risk. EMF radiation also promotes the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing oxidative stress and damage to RNA, DNA, and proteins. Antioxidants, such as vitamin C found in kiwi and dragon fruit, may counteract these effects. This study examines the impact of 4G smartphone EMF exposure (GSM 1800MHz) and diets enriched with kiwi or dragon fruit on the survival and reproductive morphometrics of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Fruit flies were exposed to EMF radiation for 2 hours per day at a distance of 3 cm for three days. The results showed that EMF exposure decreased development and survival rates in fruit flies raised on a standard banana medium. However, flies on nutrient-enriched mediums with kiwi or dragon fruit were more resilient to EMF effects. There were no significant differences in reproductive organ morphometry between diet groups. These results suggest that antioxidant-rich diets could potentially mitigate the adverse effects of EMF radiation.