Experience may be beyond this world, but research shows that those who travel to space suffer from increased bone loss.
A study published Thursday by the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine tracks 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.
“We found that weight-bearing bones only partially recovered in most astronauts one year after space flight,” said Dr. Lee Gabel, an assistant professor of kinesiology and lead author of the study.
“This suggests that permanent bone loss due to space flight is approximately the same as age-related loss of bone tissue on Earth for a decade.
Read more: University of Waterloo to focus on the effect of space travel on the brain
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The researchers traveled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to scan the astronauts’ wrists and ankles before leaving for space when they returned to Earth six months and a year later.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports, say that the loss occurs because bones that would normally carry weight on Earth, such as the legs, should not carry weight at zero gravity.
“We’ve seen astronauts have trouble walking due to weakness and imbalance after returning from space flight to others who happily rode their bikes to the Johnson Space Center campus to welcome us on a study visit,” he said. Dr. Stephen Boyd, director of the McCague Institute for Bone and Joint Health and a professor at Cumming Medical School.
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“There’s quite a mixed reaction among astronauts when they return to Earth.”
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The study found that some astronauts who flew shorter missions, under six months, restored bone strength and density in the lower body compared to those who flew longer.
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As future space missions explore travel to more distant places, the next iteration of the study plans to look at the effects of even longer journeys to support astronauts who may one day travel beyond the International Space Station.
Read more: Crazy, Wild Journey Home: How Returning to Earth Affects an Astronaut’s Body
Former Chancellor and University of Calgary astronaut Robert Tirsk said he knew how difficult it could be to return to healthy ground.
“Just as the body has to adapt to space flight at the beginning of a mission, it also has to adapt back 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 recover the longest after a space flight. But within a day of landing, I felt comfortable as an earthling again. ”
The study was funded by the Canadian Space Agency in partnership with the European Space Agency, NASA and astronauts from North America, Europe and Asia.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
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