Meeting Abstract
This study was designed to test the actions of Vespa Amino Acid Mixture (VAAM) on energetically expensive activities such as swimming, in an insect model. VAAM is a product isolated from the saliva of Japanese giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica) larvae. This product has been used in a Japanese sport and health drink marketed by VAAM Power, which claims that it increases endurance via the breakdown of fat and the suppression of lactic acid formation in the muscles. However, it is notable that no other studies on VAAM’s efficacy have been conducted on insects other than the giant Japanese hornets. Musca domestica, more commonly known as the housefly, was used as a study animal for this experiment. Results from our study show that VAAM does in fact significantly increase swimming endurance in our test by an average of 275% (p <.0001), though the mechanisms of the product’s effects remain somewhat unclear. Findings in this experiment also point towards a risk associated with VAAM, as experimental flies were significantly more likely to die following testing than were the control group animals, though again the mechanisms underlying this effect are currently uncertain. Continuing studies regarding this remarkable mixture are ongoing.
