Galileo Research Facts No. 45: Can Galileo Training in artificial weightlessness prevent bone loss?

More results of the first Berlin Bedrest Study (BBR) – this time about prevention of bone loss. (During the BBR young healthy men had to stay in bed for 55 days including all every-day activities like taking a shower or going to the toilet. The study was designed to observe the effects of the disuse of the lower leg due to the bedrest (simulated weightlessness) on muscles and bones of the legs). In this analysis the loss of bone mass in the Spongiosa das documented (the fine bone structure close to the joints where the bone looks like a sponge).

Due to the large bone surface at this region of the bone, bone loss happens first and fastest (this is kind of an early warning site). The control group lost at this region until the end of the actual bedrest phase 10% (compared to about 4% of the total bone mass in the lower leg). The Galileo Group could even increase the bone mass during the bedrest phase slightly. Interestingly (and typically for bone loss processes) bone loss continued up to 3 weeks after the end of the actual bedrest phase (so even when the individuals were walking again without any restrictions (in this case up to 15% bone loss in the controls).

This is also one of the explanations why there was a slight loss of bone mass even in the Galileo group but only at the one measurement at the very last day before standing up again: The Galileo Training was actually stopped 4 days before this day, because there where simply to many measurements to be done and no time left for the Galileo Training. The same day when they stopped Galileo Training the bone loss started.

Even more astonishing however is what happened one year after the study: While the control group had not even recovered completely the Galileo Training group had actually gained +4% of bone compared to the start of the study. This is very unexpected because in healthy fit young male no additional gain of bone mass was expected at all. Comment of the head of the project Prof. Felsenberg: “Up to now Galileo Training is the most effective to compensate muscle and bone loss during bedrest” (#GRFS68, #GRFS127)!

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