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1 Universities Space Research Association
2 Enterprise Advisory Services, Inc.
3 University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
4 Indiana University-Purdue University
5 JES Tech
6 DLR (German Aerospace Center)-Institute of Aerospace Medicine
7 German Aerospace Center (DLR)
8 NASA Johnson Space Center
9 NASA Johnson Space Center, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: scott.m.smith{at}nasa.gov.
Spaceflight and bed rest models of microgravity have profound effects on physiological systems, including the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and immune systems. These effects can be exacerbated by sub-optimal nutrient status, and therefore it is critical to monitor nutritional status when evaluating countermeasures to mitigate negative effects of spaceflight. As part of a larger study to investigate the usefulness of artificial gravity as a countermeasure for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular deficits during bed rest, we tested the hypothesis that artificial gravity would have an effect on some aspects of nutritional status. Dietary intake was recorded daily before, during, and after 21 days of bed rest with artificial gravity (n = 8) or bed rest alone (n = 7). We examined body composition, hematology, general blood chemistry, markers of oxidative damage, and blood levels of selected vitamins and minerals before, during, and after the bed rest period. Several indicators of vitamin status changed in response to diet changes: serum
- and
-tocopherol and urinary 4-pyridoxic acid decreased (P < 0.001), and plasma
-carotene increased (P < 0.001) in both groups during bed rest compared to before bed rest. A decrease in hematocrit (P < 0.001) after bed rest was accompanied by a decrease in transferrin (P < 0.001), but transferrin receptors were not changed. These data provide evidence that artificial gravity itself does not negatively affect nutritional status during bed rest. Likewise, artificial gravity has no protective effect on nutritional status during bed rest.
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