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Some new research may make NASA reconsider its “no alcohol in space” policy. A new study suggests that the “healthy” ingredient in red wine, resveratrol, may prevent the negative effects that weightlessness has on muscle and bone metabolism. This also could apply to people who live sedentary lifestyles.
The study had rats in the simulated the weightlessness of spaceflight, and the group that was fed resveratrol did not develop loss of bone mineral density or develop insulin resistance, as did those who were not fed resveratrol.
Weightlessness was simulated by hindlimb tail suspension, a common technique used to study weightlessness physiology. The control group that was not given resveratrol showed a decrease in soleus muscle mass and strength, the development of insulin resistance, and a loss of bone mineral density. The group receiving resveratrol showed none of these complications.
“There are overwhelming data showing that the human body needs physical activity, but for some of us, getting that activity isn’t easy,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the journal Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). “A low gravity environment makes it nearly impossible for astronauts. For the earthbound, barriers to physical activity are equally challenging, whether they be disease, injury, or a desk job. Resveratrol may not be a substitute for exercise, but it could slow deterioration until someone can get moving again.”
Of course, resveratrol can be taken in supplement form, but why spoil the fun? It is well known that Russian cosmonauts have imbibed in space, although probably not on the International Space Station. Alexander Lazutkin, who served aboard the Mir space station has said that Russian doctors recommended alcohol for “neutralizing the harmful effect of the atmosphere,” to keep cosmonauts “in tone” and to neutralize tension.
Weissmann added that red wine could become the “toast of the Milky Way.”
The study was published in the FASEB Journal
Sources: EurekAlert, Cosmic Log
This post should have also mentioned that resveratrol has extremely low bioavailability in humans, and that none of the results of the rat and mice studies of resveratrol have been observed in human studies, even at high doses.
Why not drink dark concord grape juice? Concord grape juice has most of the same health benefits. More importantly, it has none of the drawbacks of alcohol consumption.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN00576
I make it a point to drink a couple of glasses of this stuff a day.
Drawbacks of alcohol consumption?
It givs you the urge to grow a porn star moustach. The 2 in the foreground have obviously fell victim.
Hm. I guess, they had tons of Vodka on Mir… that would explain how that cosmonaut (I don’t remember his name) could stay there for over a year… alone!
It’s about time they got rid of the restriction on alcohol. The lack of booze is the #1 reason I haven’t joined the astronaut core.
It’s not so bad. There’s an exposed freon connection near the Kibo module, and we all take a huff now and then. The ground controllers have been trying to pin down that “leak” for years.