Trabecular and cortical bone density and architecture in women after 60 days of bed rest using high‐resolution pQCT: WISE 2005

• Published in: Journal of bone and mineral research 2011-10, Vol.26 (10), p.2399-2410
• Main Authors: Armbrecht, Gabriele, Belavý, Daniel Ludovic, Backström, Magdalena, Beller, Gisela, Alexandre, Christian, Rizzoli, Rene, Felsenberg, Dieter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3D PQCT; Adult; Bed Rest; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Density; BONE STRUCTURE; Exercise; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HIGH‐RESOLUTION PQCT; Humans; MICROGRAVITY; Nutrition; OSTEOPOROSIS; Reproducibility of Results; Skeleton and joints; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Vertebrates: osteoarticular system, musculoskeletal system; Weightlessness
• ISSN: 0884-0431; 1523-4681
• DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.482

Prolonged bed rest is used to simulate the effects of spaceflight and causes disuse‐related loss of bone. While bone density changes during bed rest have been described, there are no data on changes in bone microstructure. Twenty‐four healthy women aged 25 to 40 years participated in 60 days of strict 6‐degree head‐down tilt bed rest (WISE 2005). Subjects were assigned to either a control group (CON, n = 8), which performed no countermeasures; an exercise group (EXE, n = 8), which undertook a combination of resistive and endurance training; or a nutrition group (NUT, n = 8), which received a high‐protein diet. Density and structural parameters of the distal tibia and radius were measured at baseline, during, and up to 1 year after bed rest by high‐resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR‐pQCT). Bed rest was associated with reductions in all distal tibial density parameters (p