Counteracting bone and muscle loss in microgravity
Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2023 9:40 pm
Counteracting bone and muscle loss in microgravity
Read more here:
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-counterac ... avity.html
In microgravity, without the continuous load of Earth's gravity, the tissues that make up bones reshape themselves. Bone cells readjust their behaviors— the cells that build new bone slow down, while the cells that break down old or damaged bone tissue keep operating at their normal pace so that breakdown outpaces growth, producing weaker and more brittle bones.
For every month in space, astronauts' weight-bearing bones become roughly 1% less dense if they don't take precautions to counter this loss. Muscles, usually activated by simply moving around on Earth, also weaken because they no longer need to work as hard. This loss of bone and muscle is called atrophy.
Atrophy has serious implications for astronaut health. On Earth, muscle and bone loss or atrophy also occur from normal aging, sedentary lifestyles, and illnesses. This may cause serious health issues from injuries due to falls, osteoporosis, or many other medical problems.
Read more here:
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-counterac ... avity.html
In microgravity, without the continuous load of Earth's gravity, the tissues that make up bones reshape themselves. Bone cells readjust their behaviors— the cells that build new bone slow down, while the cells that break down old or damaged bone tissue keep operating at their normal pace so that breakdown outpaces growth, producing weaker and more brittle bones.
For every month in space, astronauts' weight-bearing bones become roughly 1% less dense if they don't take precautions to counter this loss. Muscles, usually activated by simply moving around on Earth, also weaken because they no longer need to work as hard. This loss of bone and muscle is called atrophy.
Atrophy has serious implications for astronaut health. On Earth, muscle and bone loss or atrophy also occur from normal aging, sedentary lifestyles, and illnesses. This may cause serious health issues from injuries due to falls, osteoporosis, or many other medical problems.