Red blood cell and iron metabolism during space flight

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Vol. 18; no. 10; pp. 864 - 866
• Main Author: Smith, Scott M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS Elsevier Inc 01.10.2002
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; adverse effects; anemia; Anemia - blood; Anemia - etiology; Astronauts; bioavailability; blood; Blood Volume; diet-related diseases; erythrocyte volume; Erythrocytes; Erythropoiesis; etiology; ferritin; hematocrit; homeostasis; human nutrition; Humans; iron; Iron - metabolism; iron overload; Life Sciences (General); metabolism; microgravity; mineral metabolism; nutrient reserves; nutrient transport; Plasma Volume; simulation models; Space Flight; Weightlessness; Weightlessness - adverse effects; zero gravity; iron overload; ferritin; erythropoiesis; erythrocyte volume; weightlessness; Erythropoiesis; Adaptation, Physiological; Human; Erythrocytes; Review; Space Flight; Short Duration; Plasma Volume; Weightlessness/adverse Effects; Sts Shuttle Project; Flight Experiment; Nasa Center Jsc; Long Duration; Anemia/blood/etiology; Skylab Project; Nasa Discipline Regulatory Physiology; Blood Volume; Iron/metabolism; Astronauts; Manned; Review, Tutorial; NASA Center JSC; NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/S0899-9007(02)00912-7

Space flight anemia is a widely recognized phenomenon in astronauts. Reduction in circulating red blood cells and plasma volume results in a 10% to 15% decrement in circulatory volume. This effect appears to be a normal physiologic adaptation to weightlessness and results from the removal of newly released blood cells from the circulation. Iron availability increases, and (in the few subjects studied) iron stores increase during long-duration space flight. The consequences of these changes are not fully understood.