Are You Fit Enough for Mars?
Weightlessness encountered during long-duration spaceflight can cause astronauts’ physical fitness levels to dramatically decrease. Yet, a certain level of fitness needs to be maintained in order to complete physically demanding jobs (while also wearing large spacesuits) on planetary surfaces, such as the Earth’s moon and Mars. In this study, the investigators took the first steps to determine what exercise tests and what types and levels of fitness may be required to perform physically demanding jobs. Forty-five male and female subjects completed mission-critical tasks like setting up communication towers and moving supplies. The tasks were completed under conditions simulating what astronauts would experience on the moon and Mars. Results showed that a higher level of fitness must be maintained by astronauts working under Mars gravity compared to moon gravity. In addition, information gained from multiple tests will be needed to determine if astronauts are “fit” enough to do certain jobs when they land at these destinations. This work will help prepare astronauts for demanding exploration tasks on planetary surfaces and guide development of equipment needed to sustain their fitness during future long-duration exploration missions. View the abstract or contact the investigator for more information.
Exercise during Pregnancy Can Help Babies Move Better after Birth
Research has shown that exercise during pregnancy benefits the heart health of the mother and infant. To see if a pregnant mother’s exercise habits may have additional effects on her child’s health, researchers investigated the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (150 minutes/week) during pregnancy on the motor skills of 1-month-old infants. Relative to infants of non-exercising women, infants whose mothers exercised while pregnant had higher scores on four out of five neuromotor development variables. Overall, 71 mothers were randomized to either the exercise or control group. Results suggest that aerobic exercise during pregnancy can positively influence neuromotor changes to the developing fetus that persist after birth. This is important since infants who are better movers are more likely to be active as they grow. Since physical activity is a risk factor of childhood obesity, aerobic exercise during pregnancy may be the earliest time to help reduce that risk. View the abstract or contact the investigator for more information.
Can Exercise Improve Vaccine Effectiveness in Stress Settings?
Regularly occurring stress is known to reduce the immune response to vaccination. In this study, the investigators subjected mice to three weeks of restraint stress (five days/week, six hours/day) that caused negative physical reactions, including loss of body weight. After the first week of restraint, three groups of mice were injected with both ovalbumin and a “vaccine” given to enhance production of ovalbumin antibodies. One group of mice exercised on a downhill treadmill for 45 minutes just before the injections; a second group was allowed to run voluntarily on a wheel throughout the study’s duration; and a third group served as a non-exercising control. Both exercise interventions alleviated a stress-induced reduction of ovalbumin antibody production, suggesting that exercise may be an effective strategy to overcome stress-induced immunosuppression. These results provide rationale for future investigations of potential mechanisms underlying any exercise-induced strengthening of immune responses to vaccination in a setting where those responses have been suppressed. View the abstract or contact the investigator for more information.
Exercise May Improve Small Blood Vessel Health in Older People
The brain’s small blood vessels play a role in conditions that affect how clearly people think and could affect development of Alzheimer’s disease. Finding ways to maintain blood vessel health as people age is important. This study asked: “Is physical activity good for the brain’s small veins?” For two years, older adults took part in either physical activity (walking at a pace to cause heavy breathing) or healthy aging classes. Brain scans were conducted before and after to find veins that were either straight (healthier) or had repeated twists (unhealthy). Total length of the straight veins was greater in the exercisers than in the group taking healthy aging classes. The two groups did not differ in their unhealthy veins. This study included a small number of people (24), so these results should be confirmed in larger studies. However, the findings suggest that physical activity may help the brain’s small veins ̶ even in older age! View the abstract or contact the investigator for more information.
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