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Effects of artificial gravity during bed rest on bone metabolism in humans

¹Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center, Houston; ²Universities Space Research Association, Houston, Texas; ³German Aerospace Center-Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Linder Hoehe, Cologne, Germany; and ⁴Wyle, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

Submitted 19 August 2008 ; accepted in final form 9 December 2008

We report results from a study designed to explore the utility of artificial gravity (AG) as a countermeasure to bone loss induced by microgravity simulation. After baseline testing, 15 male subjects underwent 21 days of 6° head-down bed rest to simulate the deconditioning associated with spaceflight. Eight of the subjects underwent 1 h of centrifugation (AG; 1 G_z at the heart, 2.5 G_z at the feet) each day for 21 days, whereas seven of the subjects served as untreated controls (Con). Blood and urine were collected before, during, and after bed rest for bone marker determinations. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computerized tomography before and after bed rest. Urinary excretion of bone resorption markers increased during bed rest, but the AG and Con groups did not differ significantly. The same was true for serum C-telopeptide. During bed rest, bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total ALP tended to be lower in the AG group (P = 0.08, P = 0.09). Neither BMC nor BMD changed significantly from the pre-bed rest period in AG or Con groups, and the two groups were not significantly different. However, when AG and Con data were combined, there was a significant (P < 0.05) effect of time for whole body total BMC and total hip and trochanter BMD. These data failed to demonstrate efficacy of this AG prescription to prevent the changes in bone metabolism observed during 3 wk of bed rest.

microgravity; countermeasure; bone resorption; bone formation

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