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Evidence Report: Risk Factor of Inadequate NutritionThe importance of nutrition in exploration has been documented repeatedly throughout history, where, for example, in the period between Columbus' voyage in 1492 and the invention of the steam engine, scurvy resulted in more sailor deaths than all other causes of death combined. Because nutrients are required for the structure and function of every cell and every system in the body, defining the nutrient requirements for spaceflight and ensuring provision and intake of those nutrients are primary issues for crew health and mission success. Unique aspects of nutrition during space travel include the overarching physiological adaptation to weightlessness, psychological adaptation to extreme and remote environments, and the ability of nutrition and nutrients to serve as countermeasures to ameliorate the negative effects of spaceflight on the human body. Key areas of clinical concern for long-duration spaceflight include loss of body mass (general inadequate food intake), bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular and immune system decrements, increased radiation exposure and oxidative stress, vision and ophthalmic changes, behavior and performance, nutrient supply during extravehicular activity, and general depletion of body nutrient stores because of inadequate food supply, inadequate food intake, increased metabolism, and/or irreversible loss of nutrients. These topics are reviewed herein, based on the current gap structure.
Document ID
20150000512
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Other
Authors
Smith, Scott M.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Zwart, Sara R.
(Universities Space Research Association Houston, TX, United States)
Heer, Martina
(Bonn Univ. Germany)
Date Acquired
January 16, 2015
Publication Date
January 1, 2015
Subject Category
Aerospace Medicine
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-32587
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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