NASA scientists have discovered that a healthy diet can reduce some of the negative health effects of spaceflight. The research was published in the journal scientific reports.
The study included 16 people (10 men and 6 women). Four people took part in four 45-day missions in a ground-based closed chamber designed to simulate space flight. An expanded version of the standard diet included more servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as more fish and sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
All products were stable during storage required for long flights. During the tasks, people submitted saliva, urine, blood, and stool samples for analysis and completed the tasks for cognitive assessment.
The authors found that people who ate the enhanced diet had lower cholesterol, cortisol (“stress hormone”) levels, higher cognitive scores, and a more stable gut microbiome.
Scientists believe that an advanced spaceflight diet has significant health and performance benefits for humans and can be beneficial for astronauts even on short spaceflights.