How does space travel affect calcium in human bones?
A proposal to study the change in calcium levels experienced by the astronauts during the course of their space travel.
By, Jackie Scollar
May 24th, 2018
Introduction:
Space travel is becoming more commonly talked about and could affect future generations, but it is important to know the effects on one’s body during space travel in order to make adjustments for the future to ensure the safety of the astronauts. I am hypothesizing that if humans are exposed to the conditions of space for a prolonged period of time, then calcium levels will drop in the body and bone loss will occur. Calcium, along with other hormones, are important for maintaining strong bones.
One study that supports my hypothesis is a study published in 2002 by Scott Smith and Martina Heer who tested the effects of calcium levels and bone metabolism due to space flight. They sent astronauts to space for four to six months and collected data based on a bone marker which was the “urinary
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If calcium levels were never to be tested at all, we would never know how weak bones could get after a prolonged time in space. The studies showed that “...calcium loss is serious (up to 250 mg/d) and prolonged. Upon returning to earth subjects regained bone at approximately 100 mg/d.”3 It is important to take into account the recovery time that astronauts will have when returning to earth because the rates that astronauts lose calcium in their bones is higher than the rate you gain calcium in bones while on earth. Another important factor to consider about space travel is it “...may provide insight into the treatment of bone disease on earth.”1
One thing in this experiment that could go wrong is any kind of human error. The astronauts could potentially not workout for the full two hours, or any dietary inconsistencies could affect our
1. A 12 year-old boy fell while playing basketball. The physician explained that the head
The bones are made up of two minerals, including calcium. Calcium is critical in order to maintain the level of bone mass to support structures of the body. If calcium is truncated in other regions of the body then it will be released from the bones into the bloodstream sending it to the appropriate destination. Bones begin to weaken if an insufficient amount of calcium is not consumed. The body will discontinue absorbing calcium if an abundant amount of calcium is consumed, in which vitamin D aids this process.
Another culprit of the impact of the bones is the phosphoric acid in cola. When a person takes
Osteoporosis, meaning porous bone from the Greek language, is bone disease that gradually and steadily wears down bone tissue and its living cells. This wearing down will eventually cause the cells of bone tissue to degrade and die, leaving their “scaffolding” to be the only things only bone together. Without living cells to take up a home in this scaffolding, minor injuries such as falls, bumping into objects, and pressure that would normally be completely and would not pose any threat to bone tissue suddenly becomes a real hazard that can easily pose a threat to one’s well-being. Osteoporosis affects a person skeletal system.
Osteoporosis is a condition involving the thinning of bones(bone demineralisation), leaving them brittle and more susceptible to fracture. 99% of calcium is stored in the bones, so sufficient calcium is important in order to maintain or reach peak bone mass(PBM). Osteoporosis mainly effects the older population, with 19.8 million people over the age of 50 in the UK.
What happens when you go into space? You lose muscle and bone mass. I found that the astronauts set apart two and a half hours each day are devoted to fitness. If astronauts are not exercising they start losing the bone and muscle that they need. Bone and muscle loss mean decreased size and strength, and can reduce the ability to do the work that they have due the weakness. Once they land on Earth walking difficult by the lose of muscle. Muscle can be built back up with exercise, but when you lose bone is not easy to get back. In the Apollo mission there wasn't room for the exercise equipment that the space station has.
Space is one of the most researched and government funded fields internationally. Globally, researchers have been attempting to discover more about the universe far before Sputnik was launched on October 4, 1957. NASA has launched over 100 flights to space, but one of the most recent flights is Expedition 47. This team has gone to microgravity to investigate spaceflight’s effect on the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neurovestibular systems in the human body. The crew members are also trying to discover how to make the workout equipment more practical and create more room for future space crews during long-duration missions. The Expedition 47 began on March 1, 2016 and will end on June 5, 2016. This three month long research expedition
It has become such an iconic idea, that most if not all children in the last 60 years have thought that they would be alive to see the expedition, if not be part of it themselves. Of course, space travel is not a simple there and back scenario. As seen in the American Apollo program, there are many places throughout a mission where things can and most defiantly will go wrong with technology. In addition, there are inevitably even more challenging obstacles for a mission to face once they get into space. These challenges include loss of muscle, bone, and suppression of the human immune systems and over time we have found that these bodily effects seem to become progressively worse the longer an astronaut travels through space. Before we even begin discussing when we should attempt land manned space missions on other planets, we need a better understanding of the effect of long term space travel and occur in the first place and find ways to combat them so that prolonged space travel is not destructive to the human
One scientific report, funded and published by NASA itself, studied the biochemical changes in Apollo astronauts during their missions. The report’s main
There are still new discoveries being made all the time, especially with the length of time that astronauts are spending in space increasing. A revolutionary study, conducted by NASA will send one identical twin into space for a full year, while the other remains on Earth. Measurements will be taken of both twins before, during, and after the year, which will hopefully provide even more insight into exactly how prolonged stays in space affect the body. One specific experiment that will be done will involve giving each twin identical flu vaccines. This will allow researchers to study and compare their immune reactions [2]. Human space travel is important for the advancement of humankind and the furthering of our knowledge about space. Understanding how microgravity affects the body and finding solutions to keep people healthy in space are areas that have much work to be done, but are improving due to the dedication and hard work of researchers and astronauts
One of the functions of calcium is bone and tooth formation. My low intake of calcium will affect my bone and toot formation.
A problematic issue is the matter of body mass or more specifically the bone density in space. Of course, space is bound to bring changes to the body and
Space programs have implanted exercise programs and diets for Astronauts to help deal with the effects of living in space.
Long term exposure in space poses multiple threats to astronauts who are tasked to complete high risk and reward missions. Some of the most prominent threats include loss of muscle mass, decrease in bone density, and weakening of the immune system. Other dangerous potential effects are alteration in circadian rhythms and exposure to radiation. Each effect either has current treatments, or are currently being researched to discover more effective forms to combat the potential dangers they pose.
Calcium regulation has significant effects on the human body's capacity to maintain homeostasis. Around 99% of the body's calcium is found within the skeleton in the form of calcium salts. The remaining 1% is found in blood and controlled within a very narrow range