UCalgary TBone study reveals impacts of pre-flight and in-flight exercise on bone loss.

by Kirstyn MacGillivary
McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health
University of Calgary

CALGARY, Alb. — Escaping the Earth’s orbit and floating through space for a six-month mission results in an average bone loss equating to nearly two decades of bone loss on earth. That means a 40-year old astronaut returns to Earth with a 60-year old skeleton.

Findings from the TBone study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, reveal that bone loss progresses with the length of a space mission despite daily exercise programs designed to prevent bone loss.