2024-06-15 06:29:00
While the second French woman, Sophie Adenot, has just announced her departure from space, a study suggests that women’s immune systems are more resistant to these journeys. Explanation with Géraldine Zamansky, journalist health magazine France No. 5.
franceinfo: We owe this discovery to a small group of “space tourists”?
Geraldine Zamanski : Absolutely. In 2021, for the first time, 4 civilians went into space for 3 days, funded by billionaires. The crew of two men and two women underwent extensive inspections before, during and after their adventure. Therefore, even over such a short period of time, the blood samples showed changes in immune defenses. Surprisingly: For the two male adventurers, the damage to the cells responsible for fighting infection was much greater. This is explained by Professor Christopher Mason, who has just published an article in the journal nature (English) Results of this study conducted at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.
Could staying in space damage not only astronauts’ bones and muscles, but also their immune defense systems?
Professor Mason did recall the dangers of space flight to the human body. The most famous of these is the state of weightlessness. It causes weakening of bones and muscles. But the absence of external gravity also changes our internal balance. Our bodies are about 65% water: the way these fluids flow can vary! To help understand the brutality of this change, Christopher Mason uses the image of a waterfall. We often talk to you here about the critical balance of bacteria present in your gut, such as the famous microbiome. Imagine the “cascade” of movements that immune defenses must contend with. There is reason to be upset. They may also be affected by toxic radiation from cosmic rays.
Is the body less able to fight off infection?
This is one of the observed effects. For example, certain white blood cells become less able to detect microorganisms. The damage was more pronounced and lasted longer in men, according to an analysis of the first four “space tourists.” The researchers’ main hypothesis is that a woman’s immune system is designed to cope with another incredible “internal” reorganization: pregnancy. In this way, he will have better adaptability.
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