We know that being in space isn’t exactly good for the human body, but now a new study outlines that we might finally know the full extent to those effects on human blood. Researchers have long noted the loss of red blood cells after a prolonged period in orbit, a condition referred to as “space anemia”. However, now they have figured out just how bad it is.
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00:00 [Music]
00:04 We know that being in space isn't exactly good for the human body,
00:08 but now a new study outlines that we might finally know the full extent of those effects
00:12 on the human circulatory system.
00:14 Researchers have long noted the loss of red blood cells after a prolonged period in orbit,
00:19 a condition referred to as space anemia.
00:21 But now they've observed not only just how serious the condition is,
00:24 but also how long it can last for space travelers.
00:27 The study found that after spending six months in orbit,
00:30 54% more red blood cells were lost than on Earth.
00:33 That was consistent across 14 astronauts who had spent time on the International Space Station,
00:38 and the researchers say the results were surprising.
00:41 Since microgravity causes blood to pool in the head and chest,
00:44 astronauts tend to lose around 10% of the total liquid volume in their veins.
00:48 This is what experts believe caused space anemia,
00:50 simply the body compensating for the loss in volume of blood.
00:54 The new research, however, has discovered that the loss continues at pace,
00:57 meaning it doesn't stabilize after the reduced blood volume is accounted for.
01:01 What's even more interesting is that even after the astronauts returned to Earth
01:05 and their red blood cell count returned to normal,
01:07 their bodies were still destroying more red blood cells,
01:10 with the study finding that even four months later,
01:12 they were still expelling 30% more than before they went into orbit.
01:17 [ music ]