Human Body Recovers From Stress of Weightlessness and Radiation Just Months After Spaceflight [Study]

Astronauts are subjected to another kind of stress during spaceflights, but their bodies recover months after they return home.

Human Body Recovers From Various Changes Months After Spaceflight

While in space, human bodies are subjected to extreme strain from radiation exposure and the disorienting effects of weightlessness. Their blood, heart, skin, proteins, kidneys, genes, mitochondria, telomeres, cytokines, and other health markers also alter, according to a new study. Fortunately, the researchers also found that within three months, about 95% of their health markers returned to where they had been.

Scientists have been aware that space travel can lead to health complications such as low bone mass, heart, vision, and kidney difficulties for many years.

The sample size is small-fewer than 700 people have ever been into space-and governments are not always willing to share all of their results.

Four American tourists who participated in the Inspiration4 mission and spent three days in space expressed satisfaction with the public release of their data in a recent study.

According to Christopher Mason of Weill Cornell Medicine, one of the study's primary authors, the "big take-home" is that most people recover quickly after space travel.

Per Mason, the recent study was the "most in-depth examination we've ever had of a crew." It will enable scientists to determine what medications or safety precautions may be required to help safeguard astronauts when they blast off into space.

The millionaire captain of Inspiration4, Jared Isaacman, funded the expedition to prove that space travel is feasible even for those who haven't trained for years.

The four civilian astronauts underwent a plethora of medical exams to do this.

According to one study, all four patients' telomeres-caps, like those on shoelaces that keep chromosomal ends from fraying dramatically, grew longer when they entered space. However, after months of their return to Earth, all of their telomeres shrank back to almost their previous length.

According to Susan Bailey of Colorado State University, finding a solution to this issue could aid humans in the never-ending battle against aging because telomeres likewise extend with age. The study author even conjectured that it might lead to anti-aging products like "telomerase-infused face cream."

Mason added that there was no reason humans couldn't safely reach Mars. However, he advised against making multiple trips as it would mean exposure to a lot of radiation.

Astronauts Are Prone To Infection

There is growing evidence that astronauts are more susceptible to sickness. For example, those who spend much time on the International Space Station (ISS) often develop skin rashes and respiratory and non-respiratory ailments.

A team of researchers from the University of Ottawa examined blood samples taken before, during, and following space missions by 11 men and three women astronauts. Between 2015 and 2019, the individuals lived on the International Space Station (ISS) for four to six months.

They discovered that immunity-related genes are inactivated in space but are "reactivated" upon astronauts' return to Earth, resulting in a return to pre-flight immunity levels.

Researchers identified a set of genes in the astronauts that were "reactivated" again after they returned to Earth but were repressed during their time in space. These genes encode proteins.

According to research author Odette Laneuville, the results show that the expression of several immune-related genes rapidly decreases when astronauts travel to space. Still, this expression increases when they return to Earth after six months on the International Space Station.

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