Jan 26 2009
From The Space Library
University of California at Irvine announced the publication of a NASA-funded study about bone strength among astronauts. Although previous studies had examined bone-mineral density, this study was the first to evaluate bone strength. Joyce Keyak, a professor of orthopedic surgery and biomedical engineering at University of California at Irvine, led the study. She and her research team used a novel computer program that Keyak had developed to identify hipbone fracture risk in people with osteoporosis. They analyzed hipbone CT (computed tomography) scans of one female and 12 male astronauts who had spent four to six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The researchers found that, on average, the astronauts’ hipbone strength decreased 14 percent. However, three astronauts experienced losses of 20 to 30 percent—comparable to those seen in older women with osteoporosis. The research team published its findings in the online version of Bone, the journal of the International Bone and Mineral Society.
University of California at Irvine, “Astronauts on International Space Station Lose Alarming Amounts of Hipbone Strength,” news release, 26 January 2009, http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/19371 (accessed 2 February 2011); Kristen Schott, “UCI Study Finds Astronauts at Risk for Bone Loss,” OC Metro (Newport Beach, CA), 27 January 2009.
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