QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smith, S. M. Articles by Davis-Street, J. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smith, S. M. Articles by Davis-Street, J. E.

---

Human Nutrition and Metabolism

The Nutritional Status of Astronauts Is Altered after Long-Term Space Flight Aboard the International Space Station¹

Scott M. Smith^*,2, Sara R. Zwart^*, Gladys Block, Barbara L. Rice^** and Janis E. Davis-Street^**

^* Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Office, NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058; Epidemiology and Public Health Nutrition, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720; and ^** Enterprise Advisory Services, Inc., Houston, TX 77058

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: scott.m.smith{at}nasa.gov.

Defining optimal nutrient requirements is critical for ensuring crew health during long-duration space exploration missions. Data pertaining to such nutrient requirements are extremely limited. The primary goal of this study was to better understand nutritional changes that occur during long-duration space flight. We examined body composition, bone metabolism, hematology, general blood chemistry, and blood levels of selected vitamins and minerals in 11 astronauts before and after long-duration (128–195 d) space flight aboard the International Space Station. Dietary intake and limited biochemical measures were assessed during flight. Crew members consumed a mean of 80% of their recommended energy intake, and on landing day their body weight was less (P = 0.051) than before flight. Hematocrit, serum iron, ferritin saturation, and transferrin were decreased and serum ferritin was increased after flight (P < 0.05). The finding that other acute-phase proteins were unchanged after flight suggests that the changes in iron metabolism are not likely to be solely a result of an inflammatory response. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine concentration was greater and RBC superoxide dismutase was less after flight (P < 0.05), indicating increased oxidative damage. Despite vitamin D supplement use during flight, serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol was decreased after flight (P < 0.01). Bone resorption was increased after flight, as indicated by several markers. Bone formation, assessed by several markers, did not consistently rise 1 d after landing. These data provide evidence that bone loss, compromised vitamin D status, and oxidative damage are among critical nutritional concerns for long-duration space travelers.

KEY WORDS: • space flight • nutritional status • humans • bone resorption • weightlessness

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. M. Smith, S. A. Mathews Oliver, S. R. Zwart, G. Kala, P. A. Kelly, J. S. Goodwin, and C. B. Dyer Nutritional Status Is Altered in the Self-Neglecting Elderly J. Nutr., October 1, 2006; 136(10): 2534 - 2541. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Minerva BMJ, March 12, 2005; 330(7491): 608 - 608. [Full Text] [PDF]