Resveratrol of Red wine could help Mars Explorers Stay Strong

Mars is about 9 months from Earth with today's technology, according to NASA. As the new space race progresses, Harvard researchers ask: how do we make sure that the winners can stand when they reach the finish line?
Published in Frontiers in Physiology, their study shows that resveratrol substantially preserves muscle mass and strength in rats exposed to the effects of simulated Mars wear.
Space supplements
In space, without being challenged by gravity, muscles and bones weaken. Muscles that support weight are struck first and worst, such as the soleus calf muscle.
"After only 3 weeks in space, the human soleus muscle is reduced by a third," says Dr. Marie Mortreux, lead author of the study funded by NASA in the laboratory of Dr. Seward Rutkove, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. "This is accompanied by a loss of slow contraction muscle fibers, which are necessary for endurance."
To allow astronauts to operate safely on long missions to Mars, whose gravitational force is only 40% of those on Earth, mitigation strategies will be needed to prevent muscle maladjustment.
"Dietary strategies could be key," says Dr. Mortreux, "especially because astronauts traveling to Mars will not have access to the type of exercise machines deployed in the IAS."
A strong candidate is resveratrol: a compound that is commonly found in grape skin and blueberries and has been extensively researched for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antidiabetic effects.
"Resveratrol has been shown to preserve bone and muscle mass in rats during full discharge, in a manner analogous to microgravity during space flight." Therefore, the hypothesis that a moderate daily dose would help mitigate muscle mismatch in an analogue of the gravity of Mars. "
Martian rats
To mimic the severity of Mars, the researchers used an approach first developed in mice by Mary Bouxsein, PhD, also in Beth Israel Deaconess, in which the rats were fitted with a full body harness and suspended for a chain from the roof of his cage.
Thus, 24 male rats were exposed to normal load (Earth) or 40% load (Mars) for 14 days. In each group, half received resveratrol (150 mg / kg / day) in water; the others got only the water. Otherwise, they fed freely on the same food.
The circumference of the calf and the grip strength of the front and back paws were measured weekly, and after 14 days the calf muscles were analyzed.
Resveratrol to the rescue
The results were impressive.
As expected, the condition 'Mars' weakened the grip of the rats and reduced the circumference of his calf, muscle weight and slow-twitch fiber content.
But unbelievably, resveratrol supplementation almost completely rescued the grip of the front and rear paw in the Mars rats, at the level of unsupported Earth rats.
In addition, resveratrol completely protected muscle mass (soleus and gastrocnemius) in Mars rats, and in particular reduced the loss of slow-twitch muscle fibers. However, the protection was not complete: the supplement did not completely rescue the average of the cross sections of the soleus and gastrocnemius fibers, or the circumference of the calf.
As previously reported, resveratrol did not affect food intake or total body weight.
Perfecting the dose
Previous research on resveratrol can explain these findings, says Dr. Mortreux.
"A likely factor here is insulin sensitivity.
"Resveratrol treatment promotes muscle growth in diabetic or discharged animals, by increasing insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in muscle fibers. This is relevant for astronauts, who are known to develop reduced insulin sensitivity. during space flight. "
Dr. Mortreux adds that the anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol may also help preserve muscles and bones, and other sources of antioxidants, such as dried plums, are being used to test this.
"Further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms involved, as well as the effects of different doses of resveratrol (up to 700 mg / kg / day) in both men and women, and it will be important to confirm the absence of" Potentially harmful interactions of resveratrol " with other drugs administered to astronauts during space missions. "

By: Preeti Narula
Content: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190718085319.htm