ASGSB 2005 Annual Meeting Abstracts
[59]
NUTRITION, METABOLISM AND THE CRITICAL PATHS.
T.P. Stein, PhD,
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey SOM,
Stratford, NJ 08084.
Space flight is a new experience for humans. It is
now clear that there are serious problems with short duration
flights. Interest has now shifted to long duration space
flight. The major chronic metabolic changes that have been found
are the reductive remodeling of skeletal muscle; the loss of calcium
from bone and the apparent inability to maintain energy balance.
There are also some metabolic changes, particularly depressed protein
synthesis, an increase reliance on glycolysis by the remodeled muscle
and increased susceptibility to oxidative stress post flight. With the
exception of the negative energy balance, these accommodations to the
space craft environment seem to have little impact on performance or
crew health. But they leave astronauts ill equipped for
re-exposure to gravity, be it on Mars or reentry to earth. The
critical paths have identified these as serious problems that need to
be addressed. They have been the subject of numerous flight and ground
based studies over the last 30 years. This talk will review and assess
the existing data from the perspective of the critical paths in the
areas of nutrition/metabolism. Specifically, do we know enough, and if
not what do we really need to know to meet the Presidents new goals for
NASA.
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