An Ottawa study has found that astronauts recover the enormous number of red blood cells they lose in space within 41 days of being back on Earth. The ...
Dr. Guy Trudel is seen here with an MRI of an astronaut's spine. Trudel and his team at The Ottawa Hospital have published new research exploring how astronauts recover bone density and red blood cells lost during extended time in space.
“What we measured here is the strong reaction in the bone marrow to rebuild bone and reverse anemia,” says Dr. Guy Trudel, a rehab physician and researcher at The Ottawa Hospital and lead author of the study.Previous research by Trudel found that the astronauts lost an average of three million red blood cells every second while in space: 54 per cent more than if they had been on Earth.
The research could also inform the care of rehab patients, many of whom are anemic with bone and muscle loss from extended stays in hospital beds. The average person has about 2.5 kilograms of bone marrow, which is also used by the body to store fat. Astronauts on board the space station follow an exercise regime in an effort to limit the physical toll that weightlessness takes on their bodies.Researchers also discovered changes in the astronauts’ bone marrow. Astronauts had about four per cent less fat in their bone marrow 41 days after returning to Earth, leading Trudel to theorize that it was being used to fuel blood cell and bone growth to make up for what was lost in space.
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