Anthony DAMIOT

In the perspective of the foreseen space missions to Mars and Moon, space agencies aim to understand the mechanisms leading to space deconditioning, i.e. muscle atrophy, cardiovascular disorders, immunodeficiency or metabolic alterations, and develop countermeasure programs (physical training, pharmacological or nutritional supplementation) . A recent observation during bed-rest studies is the general storage of fat in tissues not specialized in fat storage, i.e. muscle, bone, liver, and whose function is altered because of this lipid accumulation. This general ectopic fat storage is thought to contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome in astronauts, which would jeopardize their health over the long-run. My PhD dissertation investigates the origin and consequences of this ectopic fat storage during a 2-month bed rest study in 20 healthy men. In addition, the effect of a novel nutrition countermeasure, micronutrient dietary cocktail supplementation, is tested to counteract/prevent both metabolic and functional alterations.