The Secret To Staying Fit on Mars Journeys – Red Wine?

It appears that future astronauts charting a journey to the Red Planet will have to have an affinity for red wine, or at least something which is made with the skin of grapes

While most of the recent stories and research about Mars is based on what to do when humans arrive on the planet, there is still much to be considered about the journey there which can take the better part of one year.  One particular concern is the loss of muscle mass from the lack of use in the zero-gravity environment, but there is now research to suggest that red wine, or rather a compound found in red wine, can aid in the retention of muscle mass for astronauts traveling to the Red Planet.

 The research, which was published in Frontiers in Physiology, focuses on resveratrol, a compound that is found in the skin of some berries and is rich in red wine.  Based on this research, scientists now believe that the use of this compound in astronaut diets may allow for greater muscle mass retention and thus better physical outcomes from the journey.

 To better understand the muscle strain, you first have to understand the difference in gravitational pull between being on Earth, being in a space craft for an extended period of time, and being on Mars.  On earth, the gravitational pull is about 60% more than on Mars with open space being even more than that.  Due to this, the muscles will not be as strained and will atrophy as a result.   This is problematic for the overall health of the space traveler.

 For the test, the team used two dozen male rats split into four groups. 12 of the rats experienced standard “loading,” which is what we all experience every day on Earth, while the other half were fitted with harnesses and rigged to a suspension system that subjected them to roughly 40%t loading, matching Mars’ gravitational pull

 The two groups were further split in half, with half of each group receiving resveratrol supplements in addition to their water, and the others receiving no additional supplements. Strength tests were administered throughout the test period, which lasted two weeks.

 As anticipated, the group which was subjected to the reduced loading without supplementation showed significant muscle atrophy. However, the 40% gravity rats that received the resveratrol supplement showed dramatically improved grip strength as well as less loss of muscle mass, while not affecting the rats’ overall body weight.

 The researchers believe this is due to how the compound affects the body’s sensitivity to insulin. “Resveratrol treatment promotes muscle growth in diabetic or unloaded animals, by increasing insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in the muscle fibers,” Dr. Marie Morteux, lead author of the study, said in a statement. “This is relevant for astronauts, who are known to develop reduced insulin sensitivity during spaceflight.”

 Study Link - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00899/full