Doctors have raised concerns about the health of one of NASA’s stranded astronauts after a recent photo showed him looking “emaciated”.
Sunita Williams, 59, spent 152 days in space after being stranded on the International Space Station by Boeing’s defective Starliner spacecraft.
Williams and fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore docked on June 6 for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission and have been there ever since.
Dr. Vinay Gupta, a Seattle veteran and pulmonologist, said the couple has been upbeat in public comments and interviews, but recent photos tell a different story. .
Dr. Gupta told DailyMail.com: “The person in that photo is experiencing the natural stresses of living at very high altitudes, even in a pressurized cabin, for long periods of time.” I think so,” he said.
“Her cheeks look a little sunken, which usually happens when she loses weight overall,” Dr. Gupta added.
“What you can tell from the sunken face and cheeks is that [she] Probably at a fairly high level [calorie] We’ll be in the red for a while.”
In space, the body burns more calories as it adapts to changes in gravity and tries to maintain body temperature in a cold, harsh environment. Astronauts also exercise about 2.5 hours per day and burn more calories to prevent muscle and bone loss.
This came just days after the entire NASA crew was hospitalized without explanation after spending more than 200 days on the ISS.
Health photo: Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore before their June 6 mission
What she’s wearing: Doctors raised concerns about Sunita’s health, claiming she looked “haggard” on September 24 this year
A photo released on September 24 shows Williams stuffing herself with pepperoni pizza and chips, surrounded by condiments and other treats.
‘BI don’t think her life is in danger, at least from what I see in the photos,” Dr. Gupta said.
‘BLooking at that photo, I don’t think you can say she’s a healthy weight.
‘TThere are many things that the human body cannot adapt to, and one of them is that you are probably losing more calories than you are taking in. ”
Astronauts are recommended to consume up to 3,500 calories per day while in space to prevent physical breakdown.
But Dr. Gupta said: “Your metabolism is [in space] Basically, even if you’re consuming a slice of pepperoni, you’ll have to expend far more energy than you’re taking in.
“Her body is probably working harder to do basic things because the partial pressure of oxygen is lower than at sea level.”
To counteract the harsh muscle-wasting effects of space travel, crew members consume a high-calorie diet.
“As you can see, they are eating very high-calorie foods. Cold meats and other meats, protein, but high-fat cold meats are not necessarily a balanced diet.”
Physical illness is a particular problem for women.
A study compiled by NASA in 2014 found that women experience a greater decrease in plasma volume than men during spaceflight, and that women’s stress responses are characterized by an increase in heart rate, whereas men’s stress response is characterized by increased heart rate. It turns out that the increase is responsive.
Plasma loss causes a temporary increase in metabolic rate while the body mobilizes resources to adapt to the plasma loss.
And this response slightly increases calorie expenditure, which can result in weight loss similar to what Williams is experiencing.
Another study published in 2023 by Ball University also found that women lose more muscle than men in microgravity environments such as spaceflight.
Researchers investigated muscle loss (atrophy) in men and women during two long-term rest tests.
Men spent 90 days and women 60 days in a 6-degree head-down position with the head below the feet.
This simulated weightlessness similar to what the crew would experience during spaceflight.
Both groups of volunteers ate, slept, performed personal hygiene, and performed all other activities in head-down or horizontal positions.
The research team found that all participants had a significant decrease in muscle mass in both areas of their legs during the bed rest period compared to before bed rest.
At one month, women lost more quadriceps muscle mass than men, and at two months, women lost more muscle mass than men at three months.
“Oxygen levels in the air will be lower than baseline, and nutrient uptake will not be as strong as on the ground,” Dr. Gupta said.
“Their ability to work out will be limited, meaning all sorts of physiological variables that define our health status will be suboptimal, especially in pressurized cabins. But, you know, in their case it’s space, right?
“So what you see in that photo, especially Sunita, is experiencing the natural stress of living at very high altitudes, even in a pressurized cabin, for extended periods of time. I think that’s the person who is.”
He explained that even though Williams had received the necessary training to spend time on the ISS, “there are some things that the human body just can’t adapt to.”
“Her metabolism is probably running from the rooftop, keeping her warm and despite being pressurized, her body is probably working harder to do basic things because the partial pressure of oxygen is lower than normal. We operate in the environment in which we work’ at sea level,” Dr. Gupta added.
