Astronauts tend to be more susceptible to infections in space That’s because weightlessness changes the shape and function of immune cells Researchers identified one supplement that can reverse some of these changes TUESDAY, June 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Astronauts orbiting the Earth tend to suffer from immune system problems such as infections and the reactivation of dormant viruses, even on short-term space flights. That appears to be because a lack of gravity causes the immune system to go awry during space travel, a new study has found. Immune cells appear to grow differently in weightless conditions, affecting their ability to fight off disease, researchers report June 11 in the journal Nature Communications .
“We show how simulated microgravity shapes immune cells and how the changes in force alter the cells’ function at the single cell level,” researcher Dr. Daniel Winer , a gerontologist at the University of Southern California’s Buck Institute for Research on Aging, said in a news release. The researchers also found at least one supplement – the plant pigment quercetin – that can counter the effects of weightlessness on the immune system.
Quercetin reversed about 70% of the immune cell changes caused by a lack of gravity, researchers found. It’s found in red onions, grapes, berries, apples and citrus fruits. For the study, researchers studied under the microscope how 25 hours of simulated microgravity affected immune cells cultured from the blood .
