A balanced diet, exercise and reduced stress not only can lead to a longer life, but also better reproduction, according to a new study by a team of researchers, including one from Arizona State University, on barn swallow nutrition and mating habits.
The study shows that swallows who maintained a positive antioxidant balance over the course of their breeding season were those who produced the most young.
The results of the study are presented in the February 25, 2010 issue of PLoS One, a journal of the Public Library of Science, in the article “Positive carotenoid balance correlates with greater reproductive performance in a wild bird.” The study was led by Rebecca Safran, an assistant professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at University of Colorado in collaboration with Kevin McGraw, an associate professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University.
“Our results indicate these top-of-the-line barn swallows are less stressed and have higher functioning immune systems,” added Safran.
In a variety of animals, these carotenoids can have potent free-radical-quenching and immune-boosting activity.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100225_birdhealth
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