The experience may be out of this world, but research indicates that those who travel to outer space suffer greater bone loss.
CALGARY – The experience may be out of this world, but research indicates that those who travel to outer space suffer greater bone loss.
A study published Thursday by the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary followed 17 astronauts before and after their spaceflight.
The TBone study, conducted over a seven-year period beginning in 2015, found that prolonged weightlessness accelerated bone loss in astronauts.
“You see, on average, they lose about two decades of bone. We’ve found that weight-bearing bones were only partially recovered in most astronauts a year after space flight,” said Dr. Leigh Gabel, a professor. assistant professor of kinesiology and lead author of the study.
“After a year of recovery, they tend to recover about half of that. This suggests that permanent bone loss due to spaceflight is about the same as a decade of age-related bone loss on Earth.” .
The researchers traveled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to scan the astronauts’ wrists and ankles before they left for space, on their return to Earth, after six months and then a year.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports, said the loss occurs because bones that normally support weight on Earth, such as the legs, should not carry weight in a zero-gravity environment.
“We’ve seen astronauts who had trouble walking due to weakness and lack of balance after returning from space flight to others who happily rode their bikes to the Johnson Space Center campus to meet us for a study visit, ”said Dr. Steven Boyd, director of the study. the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health and professor at the Cumming School of Medicine.
“There is a wide variety of responses among astronauts when they return to Earth.”
Boyd said the new scanning technology has made a difference.
“We are using a new technology that can measure the fine details of the bone that are even thinner than a human hair in terms of resolution. We can see details in it that could not be seen in these astronauts before.”
The study found that some astronauts who flew on shorter missions (less than six months) regained more strength and bone density in the lower body compared to those who flew for longer.
The next iteration of the study plans to analyze the effects of even longer trips to support astronauts who may one day travel beyond the International Space Station.
“NASA is really interested in understanding if long-term spaceflight could cause even greater bone loss, which would not be very good for the astronaut,” Boyd said.
“The next phase is to do a study that incorporates crew members who spend a year on the International Space Station, which will give us more information on whether you lose even more bone after that one-year period.”
Former Rector and astronaut at the University of Calgary Robert Thirsk said he knows how difficult it can be to return to solid ground.
“Just as the body has to adapt to space flight at the beginning of a mission, it also has to readjust to the Earth’s gravitational field at the end,” he said.
“Fatigue, dizziness and imbalance were immediate challenges for me on my return. Bones and muscles take longer to recover after space flight. But after a day of landing, I left to feel comfortable again as an earthling. ”
The study was funded by the Canadian Space Agency in collaboration with the European Space Agency, NASA and astronauts from North America, Europe and Asia.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 30, 2022.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press