Skeletal health in long-duration astronauts: Nature, assessment, and management recommendations from the NASA bone summit
Open accessAbstract
Concern about the risk of bone loss in astronauts as a result of prolonged exposure to microgravity prompted the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to convene a Bone Summit with a panel of experts at the Johnson Space Center to review the medical data and research evidence from astronauts who have had prolonged exposure to spaceflight. Data were reviewed from 35 astronauts who had served on spaceflight missions lasting between 120 and 180 days with attention focused on astronauts who (1) were repeat fliers on long-duration missions, (2) were users of an advanced resistive exercise device (ARED), (3) were scanned by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) at the hip, (4) had hip bone strength estimated by finite element modeling, or (5) had lost >10% of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) at the hip or lumbar spine as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Because of the limitations of DXA in describing the effects of spaceflight on bone strength, the panel recommended that the U.S. space program use QCT and finite element modeling to further study the unique effects of spaceflight (and recovery) on bone health in order to better inform clinical decisions.
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The mathematical model presented is the first to the authors' knowledge that does not assume a linear decrease in BMD of astronauts.
“The mathematical model presented is the first to our knowledge that does not assume a linear decrease in the BMD of astronauts [28–30].”
From A human mission to Mars: Predicting the bone mineral density loss of astronauts (2020) · cites this paper as [29]
In “Long-Duration Astronaut Data: Bone Loss and Recovery” (page unavailable), the paper says an average monthly BMD-loss rate was used to predict loss for other mission designs, while noting there were insufficient measurements to determine whether loss during flight was linear. This supports the contrast with rate-based predictions, but the paper does not establish that the citing authors’ model was the first not to assume a linear decrease. (LLM, conf=0.79)
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References 41 · Cited by 184
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Smith SM, Zwart SR. Nutritional biochemistry of spaceflight. Adv Clin Chem. 2008;46:87-13.
- Payne MWC, William DR, Trudel G. Space flight rehabilitation: literature review. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2007;86(1):1-9.
- Keyak JH, Sigurdsson S, Karlsdottir G, Oskarsdottir D, Sigmarsdottir A, Zhao S, Kornak J, Harris TB, Sigurdsson G, Jonsson BY, Siggeirsdottir K, Eiriksdottir G, Gudnason V, Lang TR. Male-female differences in prediction of hip fracture during finite element analysis. Bone. 2011;48(6):1239-45.
- Authors
- Orwoll, E. S., Adler, R. A., Amin, S., Binkley, N., Lewiecki, E. M., Petak, S. M., Shapses, S. A., Sinaki, M., Watts, N. B., & Sibonga, J. D.
- Affiliations
- Oregon Health & Science University (US)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
- Mayo Clinic (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- New Mexico Clinical Research & Osteoporosis Center (US)
- Texas Institute for Reproductive Medicine and EndocrinologyHoustonTXUSA
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Mercy Health (US)
- Johnson Space Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sibonga, Jean D
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-04-02
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1243-1255
- ISSN
- 0884-0431 (ISSN-L)
- 1523-4681
- OpenAlex
- W1524656751
- Cited by
- 184
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 6
- FWCI
- 1.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
- Locations
- Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Cleveland Clinic
- University of South Carolina
- Universities Space Research Association
- Johnson Space Center
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Spaceflight effects on biology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Bone health and osteoporosis research
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Space Exploration and Technology
- Keywords
- microgravity, long-duration spaceflight, astronauts, bone mineral density, quantitative computed tomography, finite element analysis, bone health management, bone recovery
- MeSH terms
- Aerospace Medicine, Bone and Bones, Bone Diseases, Female, Humans, Male, Time Factors, United States, Weightlessness, Absorptiometry, Photon, Astronauts, United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Needs Assessment
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