Immune system dysregulation is among the many adverse effects incurred by astronauts during space flights. Omega-3 fatty acids, β-alanine, and carnosine are among the many nutrients that contribute ...to immune system health. For space flight, crewmembers are prescribed a diet with a macronutrient composition of 55% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 15% protein. To quantify omega-3 fatty acid, β-alanine and carnosine intakes from such a diet, and to examine each nutrient's impact on exercise performance, 21 participants adhered to the aforementioned macronutrient ratio for 14 days which was immediately followed by a workout performed on gravity-independent resistive exercise hardware. Results included daily omega-3 fatty acid intakes below the suggested dietary intake. Daily omega-3 fatty acid, β-alanine and carnosine intakes each correlated with non-significant amounts of variance from the workout's volume of work. Given the nutritional requirements to maintain immune system function and the demands of in-flight exercise countermeasures for missions of increasingly longer durations current results, in combination with previously published works, imply in-flight supplementation may be a prudent approach to help address the physiological and mental challenges incurred by astronauts on future space flights.
O'Brien, IT, Kozerski, AE, Gray, WD, Chen, L, Vargas, LJ, McEnroe, CB, Vanhoover, AC, King, KM, Pantalos, GM, and Caruso, JF. Use of gloves to examine intermittent palm cooling's impact on rowing ...ergometry. J Strength Cond Res 35(4): 931-940, 2021-The aim of this study was to examine the use of gloves on intermittent palm cooling's impact on rowing ergometry workouts. Our methods had subjects (n = 34) complete 3 rowing ergometer workouts of up to 8 2-minute stages separated by 45- or 60-second rests. They were randomized to one of the following treatments per workout: no palm cooling (NoPC), intermittent palm cooling as they rowed (PCex), or intermittent palm cooling as they rowed and post-exercise (PCex&post). Palm cooling entailed intermittent cold (initial temperature: 8.1° C) application and totaled 10 (PCex) and 20 (PCex&post) minutes, respectively. Workouts began with 8 minutes of rest after which pre-exercise data were obtained, followed by a ten-minute warm-up and the workout, and 20 minutes of post-exercise recovery. Numerous physiological and performance variables were collected before, during, and after workouts, and each was analyzed with either a two- or three-way analysis of variance. Our results include, with a 0.05 alpha and a simple effects post hoc, the distance rowed analysis produced a significant workout effect with PCex, PCex&post > NoPC. There were also significant interworkout differences for heart rate (HR) (NoPC > PCex) and blood lactate concentration (NoPC > PCex, PCex&post). We conclude that lower HRs and blood lactate concentrations from intermittent cooling caused subjects to experience less fatigue during those workouts and enabled more work to be performed. Continued research should identify optimal cooling characteristics to expedite body heat removal. Practical applications suggest that intermittent palm cooling administered with gloves enhance performance by abating physiological markers of fatigue.
Gray, WD, Jett, DM, Cocco, AR, Vanhoover, AC, Colborn, CE, Pantalos, GM, Stumbo, J, Quesada, PM, and Caruso, JF. Ergogenic and physiological outcomes derived from a novel skin cooling device. J ...Strength Cond Res 35(2): 391-403, 2021-Our study's purpose assessed a cooling headband's ergogenic and physiological impacts. Subjects (15 women and 13 men) completed six visits; the final 3 entailed rowing workouts with the following treatment conditions: no head cooling (NoHC), intermittent head cooling during exercise (HCex), and intermittent head cooling during exercise and post-exercise recovery (HCex&post). Data collection occurred at the following times (a) pre-exercise and post-warm-up, (b) between stages of up to eight 2-minute bouts, and (c) at 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes post-exercise. In addition to distance rowed, thermal, cardiovascular, perceptual, and metabolic measurements were obtained. Results included a small yet significant intertreatment difference (HCex, HCex&post > NoHC) for distance rowed. Our cardiovascular and metabolic indices exhibited sex and time differences but likely did not contribute to the ergogenic effect. Yet, left hand temperatures (LHT) exhibited significant 2-way and 3-way interactions that were the likely source of the ergogenic effect. Auditory canal temperature (AUDT) results suggest the head is sensitive to heat increases, yet LHT data show headband use evoked significantly greater temperature increases at the hand's palmar surface, indicative of heat transfer. We conclude, and our practical applications suggest, the headband's ergogenic effect was manifested by cold-induced vasodilation at the hand's palmar surface, rather than heat losses through the head.
Space flight diets include a 55/30/15 (carbohydrate/fat/protein) ratio. Yet recent long-term missions require astronauts to exercise several hours daily for up to seven days a week. We hypothesize a ...high protein diet (45/25/30) is more conducive to longer missions and their high volumes of exercise.
With a within-subjects design, participants (8 men, 8 women) adhered to each diet for 14 days. Isocaloric diets were prescribed based on subject’s resting metabolic rate, activity level and body composition. Compliance was monitored daily. Per subject, diet sequence was randomized to limit order effects. Immediately after each diet concluded subjects worked out on a gravity-independent device (Impulse Training Systems; Newnan, GA) while tethered to a metabolic cart. Workouts entailed four (unilateral knee extension, unilateral hip extension, unilateral standing row, bilateral arm pulldown) exercises, comprised of three 60-second sets separated by 60-second rests and done against 4.4 kg. Work volumes were measured from our device, as were pre-exercise respiratory quotients (RQ), and energy costs based on net O2 uptakes. Blood lactate concentrations (BLa-) were measured before and five minutes after workouts. Exercise and respiratory data were compared with 2(gender) × 2(diet) ANOVAs, with repeated measures for diet. BLa- were assessed with a 2(gender) × 2(time) × 2(diet) ANOVA, with repeated measures for time and diet.
Significant BLa- differences occurred for time (post > pre) and for RQ by diet (55/30/15 > 45/25/30). Trends for work differences occurred by gender (men > women) and diet (45/25/30 > 55/30/15).
Our preliminary results concur with those that show greater RQ values from diets higher in carbohydrates. With continued data collection it is of interest to note if inter-work differences reach statistical significance, with higher values produced by the high protein diet. If so, such a diet may be more efficacious as a countermeasure to the muscle atrophy, strength loss and performance decrements for in-flight operational tasks seen with longer missions.
Kentucky Space Grant Consortium.
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