I’ve been meaning to ask and now Moi’s astronomy thread has reminded me.

I’ve read that weightlessness and low gravity are harmful to bone and muscular condition. Apparently this is a major problem that needs to be solved before we can send people to Mars.

On the other hand would living on a high gravity planet have the opposite effect, leading to stronger bones and bigger muscles?

I’d have thought it would but does anyone actually know?

I’ve been meaning to ask and now Moi’s astronomy thread has reminded me.

I’

Kortpeel (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2010 3:55 am ve read that weightlessness and low gravity are harmful to bone and muscular condition. Apparently this is a major problem that needs to be solved before we can send people to Mars.

On the other hand would living on a high gravity planet have the opposite effect, leading to stronger bones and bigger muscles?

I’d have thought it would but does anyone actually know?

Kortpeel,

To be honest, I don't think anybody's had the *opportunity* to do any kind of high-gravity research, simply because there's not really any way to create a *practical* high-gravity environment for any length of time.

That being said, it *would* be logical to assume that a high gravity environment would cause anyone living in it to develop stronger muscles as a necessity for mobility in that environment. I'm not sure about the bone strength, though; if memory serves, a good part of the reason that bone deteriorates in zero-gravity is that the stresses on the bones that gravity causes are non-existent, and as such, it affects the balance between the body's continual process of creation and destruction of bone, reducing the creation. I'd imagine that medicines could be developed that would restore that balance, but that's still some ways in the future (such a medicine would inevitably be used to combat osteoporosis, as well).

Can't give you anything for certain, though...

-YPA

Kortpeel (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2010 3:55 am I’ve been meaning to ask and now Moi’s astronomy thread has reminded me.

I’ve read that weightlessness and low gravity are harmful to bone and muscular condition. Apparently this is a major problem that needs to be solved before we can send people to Mars.

On the other hand would living on a high gravity planet have the opposite effect, leading to stronger bones and bigger muscles?

I’d have thought it would but does anyone actually know?

My thoughts both from what I know from working in healthcare and having been an avid science fiction reader lack of gravity will cause muscles to weaken. In healthcare we have learned that for every day a patient lies in bed he loses a certain percent of muscle mass. That is why most patients are out of bed the next day after surgery. The faster they are moving again the less atrophy to muscles and the shorter recovery times.

We are used to our level of gravity when walking, climbing steps and doing daily activities. When we watched men jumping around on the moon and how easy it was with all the equipment and space suits it was obvious it took less strength to do those things. Could they have jumped around on earth with all of that equipment? I do not think the problems will occur while in space but on return to earth's gravity. They would need strength training to rebuild their muscle mass and endurance. If they travelled for a great distance in zero gravity to a planet with heavier gravity I would think they would need some support to adapt. Then upon their return to earth they would enjoy greater strength until their bodies adapted to less gravity.

Weight bearing exercises are one of the most important things to do to increase bone density so it would stand to reason that sustained exposure to a higher gravity environment would definately increase bone and muscle mass.

The bad thing is it would make the heart work harder and cause it to enlarge which causes a whole set if different health problems. Just stressing the bones with even low repetitions of weight can have very good benefits on bone and muscle health.

YourPhriendlyAuthor (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2010 5:52 am Kortpeel,

To be honest, I don't think anybody's had the *opportunity* to do any kind of high-gravity research, simply because there's not really any way to create a *practical* high-gravity environment for any length of time.

It would not be very difficult to create a high-gravity environment. All you would have to do is to mount a house trailer and a counterweight on a centrifuge. The trailer would be mounted on a gimbal so that its floor would seem to be horizontal at any rate of spin. A person could live in the trailer for days or weeks at any gravity level they wanted or could tolerate. If they did not look out the windows, they probably would not even notice that they were spinning unless they threw something. The path of a thrown object would be distorted by the Coriolis effect.

A period of High g living sounds like great exercise.

The kind that just happens like sailing or horseback riding. When you stop you feel how much of a total body workout it is.

To be a High g couch potato for a few hours a day, getting up for snacks of course sounds like my kind of exercise.

Moi

Looking forward to having g amplifying emitters in my ceiling, (or floor?).

moi621 (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2010 6:31 pm A period of High g living sounds like great exercise.

The kind that just happens like sailing or horseback riding. When you stop you feel how much of a total body workout it is.

To be a High g couch potato for a few hours a day, getting up for snacks of course sounds like my kind of exercise.

Moi

Looking forward to having g amplifying emitters in my ceiling, (or floor?).

Moi, told me in private that he is tipping 480lbs, I think he has had one to many Twinkies.

River

Moi is 5'11"

145 pounds soaking wet.

Always bird boned lite weight.

Was carrying 20 pounds of belly and ass fat but I dropped it and kept it off about two years now with carbohydrate consciousness.

High Protein Low Glycemic Index foods except for "needs".

The Brownies are in the oven now.

With milk later.

But not with pasta, bread, B'fast cereal, cookies, etc. all in one day.

Carbohydrate consciousness.

Moi the Ectomorph

Beef is three of the four major food groups. Chocolate is the other. Everything else is miscellaneous.

OK< now who do you believe? Me, your friendly Staff member or MOI?

River