“Space Anemia”— Just One Of The Many Impacts of Space Travel On The The Human Body

Space travel is booming. With companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic attempting to revolutionize space tourism, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes widely available to the general public.

For decades, billions of dollars have been spent on examining the effects of space travel on human physiology, with a deep understanding that space medicine and science is still largely uncharted territory. These efforts have never been more important, as human space travel is now becoming increasingly mainstream.

Last year, I wrote about how research in space physiology demonstrates that space travel has a wide variety of effects on the human body, including muscle atrophy, increased risk of cancer, and behavioral changes. Indeed, the reasons for these detrimental effects are numerous, including increased exposure to solar radiation, solitary confinement for extended periods of time, lack of muscle resistance due to loss of gravity, and many more.

A recent research study supported by the Canadian Space Agency and The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine found yet another noteworthy phenomenon: “space anemia.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines anemia as “a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the haemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal. Haemoglobin is needed to carry oxygen and if you have too few or abnormal red blood cells, or not enough haemoglobin, there will be a decreased capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues.” Accordingly, the effects of anemia are quite serious. As the WHO explains, anemia may result “in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath, among others.”

As the WHO further details, “The most common causes of anaemia include nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency, though deficiencies in folate, vitamins B12 and A are also important causes; haemoglobinopathies; and infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and parasitic infections.”

But the new research study, published in Nature Medicine, found that “the destruction of red blood cells, termed hemolysis, is a primary effect of microgravity in space flight and support the hypothesis that the anemia associated with space flight is a hemolytic condition that should be considered in the screening and monitoring of both astronauts and space tourists.”

Dr. Guy Trudel, the physician that spearheaded the study alongside other academics, explains more in the press release: “Space anemia has consistently been reported when astronauts returned to Earth since the first space missions, but we didn’t know why […] Our study shows that upon arriving in space, more red blood cells are destroyed, and this continues for the entire duration of the astronaut’s mission.”

“Thankfully, having fewer red blood cells in space isn’t a problem when your body is weightless…But when landing on Earth and potentially on other planets or moons, anemia affecting your energy, endurance, and strength can threaten mission objectives. The effects of anemia are only felt once you land, and must deal with gravity again.”

These findings are incredibly relevant, as they highlight yet another layer of understanding regarding the impact of space travel on human physiology. Without a doubt, as space travel becomes more affordable and accessible, more individuals will attempt to treat it as a recreational activity. But just as with any other vocation or hobby, regulators and policy leaders will have to develop certain protocols, health requirements, and screening criteria to determine who is safe to travel into space.

Research like Trudel’s and the significant amount of scholarship done over the past few decades by thousands of other dedicated scientists and scholars have not only helped humankind push the bounds of knowledge with regards to space travel, but will also become critically valuable for the purpose of creating safe frameworks for the future of space travel.

Indeed, with a commitment to learn more, a keen appetite for curiosity, and dedication put forth by intellectually hungry scholars, humanity may indeed make space travel safe, accessible, and mainstream, one day soon.