Posted 07.01.2011 at 3:05 pm
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Red Wine
Mr. T in DC via Flickr
Good news for oenophiles: Wine can offset the negative effects of weightlessness. We’ve already seen the first beer brewed for drinking in space — any vintners want to take up the challenge of bottling the first zero-g grenache?
Scientists have long known that red wine has health benefits; it contains resveratrol and antioxidants like flavonoids that are good for your heart, the Mayo Clinic explains. A new study shows resveratrol can prevent bone density loss and muscle atrophy, two problems that commonly plague astronauts and those who lead sedentary lifestyles.
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Science, Rebecca Boyle, antioxidants, astronauts, drinks, health, heart health, weightlessness, wine, zero gravityThe control group lost bone and muscle density and developed insulin resistance, according to the Journal of the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology. The resveratrol group did not suffer those side effects.
“Resveratrol may not be a substitute for exercise, but it could slow deterioration until someone can get moving again,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., editor-in-chief of the FASEB Journal.
Astronauts on long-duration trips on the ISS or Mars spacecraft could perhaps take resveratrol supplements. Similarly, people with sedentary lifestyles, due to disability or other factors, could benefit from the compound. Or they could just drink some red wine.
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grape juice has the same benefits
dont waste getting drunk to try to help ur bone density
Next up: Bars in space!
So try using that excuse the next time your pulled over for DUI !!
"But officer--I was just trying to offset the negative affects of weightlessness".
The wikipedia article says it best:
"Despite mainstream press alleging resveratrol's anti-aging effects,[4] there is no accepted data to form a scientific basis for the application of these claims to mammals (see Life-Extension section below). There are also a number of potential dangers posed by resveratrol [5][6] (see sections: Adverse Effects and Unknowns and Possible Carcinogenicity).
Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and in other fruits. However, red wine contains very little of it, on the order of one milligram a glass, and no reputable scientists believe it is the factor behind the French Paradox."
You'd probably drink yourself to cirrhosis before getting significant amounts of reseratrol from wine. There are other sources of it that are used as the sources for suppliments.
Anything that works for time travel as well? I keep getting these weird headaches after my travels :)
Wine can counter the unpleasant side effects of a lot of things, LOL. And grape juice does NOT have all the same benefits!
Please let us know when NASA needs some more study volunteers. It's a shame all this research will go to waste as the shuttle program closes down.
to all the ignorant morons, space exploration has not stopped because the shuttle program is ending, the shuttles are long over due for retirement and with them gone a new generation of human space flight can be developed much more rapidly than if all those billions are being used instead to keep the shuttles going, everything comes to am end, get over it
Human space travel is just stupid. Let the robots do the work of exploring.