Towards human exploration of space: The THESEUS review series on nutrition and metabolism research priorities
Résumé
Nutrition has multiple roles during space flight from providing sufficient nutrients to meet the metabolic needs of the body and to
maintain good health, to the beneficial psychosocial aspects related to the meals. Nutrition is central to the functioning of the body;
poor nutrition compromises all the physiological systems. Nutrition is therefore likely to have a key role in counteracting the
negative effects of space flight (e.g., radiation, immune deficits, oxidative stress, and bone and muscle loss). As missions increase in
duration, any dietary/nutritional deficiencies will become progressively more detrimental. Moreover, it has been recognized that
the human diet contains, in addition to essential macronutrients, a complex array of naturally occurring bioactive micronutrients
that may confer significant long-term health benefits. It is therefore critical that astronauts be adequately nourished during
missions. Problems of nutritional origin are often treatable by simply providing the appropriate nutrients and adequate
recommendations. This review highlights six key issues that have been identified as space research priorities in nutrition field:
in-flight energy balance; altered feeding behavior; development of metabolic stress; micronutrient deficiency; alteration of gut
microflora; and altered fluid and electrolytes balance. For each of these topics, relevance for space exploration, knowledge gaps and
proposed investigations are described. Finally, the nutritional questions related to bioastronautics research are very relevant to
multiple ground-based-related health issues. The potential spin-offs are both interesting scientifically and potentially of great
clinical importance.
Domaines
Sciences de l'environnement
Origine : Publication financée par une institution
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