ArticleNPJ microgravity2020
A systematic review and meta-analysis of bone loss in space travelers.
Article in NPJ microgravity, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 110 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
110 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 199 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of antiresorptive agents in fibrous dysplasia and McCune Albright syndrome, a systematic review and meta-analysis.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Craniofacial Bones and Teeth in Spacefarers: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JDR clinical and translational research · 2023Pooled it
- Introducing the Concept of Exercise Holidays for Human Spaceflight - What Can We Learn From the Recovery of Bed Rest Passive Control Groups.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of artificial gravity on calcaneal bone marrow adipose tissue and mineral content in female and male participants in 60 days of bed rest.Experimental physiology · 2026Trial
- Personalization and Fortification of In-Space Manufactured Emulsified Beverages for Long-Term Space Travel.Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety · 2026Review
- Blood flow restriction: The acute effects of body tilting and reduced gravity analogues on limb occlusion pressure.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Jumping on the moon as a potential exercise countermeasure.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- An Inulin-Type Atractylodes Macrocephala Polysaccharide Alleviates Weightlessness-Induced Bone Loss in Association with the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Jumping in simulated lunar gravity with blood flow restriction as a potential exercise countermeasure: The acute physiological effects.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Including anisotropy in homogenised inverse remodelling algorithms for habitual load case estimation in bone.Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Comparison of musculoskeletal responses and its variability after long-term spaceflight and prolonged bed rest conditions.NPJ microgravity · 2026Article
- Formulation of Personalized, Fortified Beverage Nanoemulsions for Space Exploration with Omega‑3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids.ACS food science & technology · 2026Article
- The case for space as a model of accelerated aging.Nature aging · 2026Review
- Behavior of mandibular fractures under earth and microgravity conditions: a finite element analysis.NPJ microgravity · 2026Article
- Early skeletal deteriorations following short-duration spaceflight.NPJ microgravity · 2026Article
- Effects of microgravity mechanotransduction in bone tissue and cells: systematic review on primary cilium-dependent mechanisms.NPJ microgravity · 2026Article
- Mechano-immune interactions in musculoskeletal aging: Mechanisms and translational perspectives.Theranostics · 2026Review
- Adjuvant pharmacological strategies for the musculoskeletal system during long-term space missions.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Review
- Impact of spaceflight on endocrine, metabolic and kidney function: current evidence, open issues, and potential countermeasures.BMC biology · 2025Review
50 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Bone loss in space travelers is a major challenge for long-duration space exploration. To quantify microgravity-induced bone loss in humans, we performed a meta-analysis of studies systematically identified from searching Medline, Embase, Web of Science, BIOSIS, NASA Technical reports, and HathiTrust, with the last update in November 2019. From 25 articles selected to minimize the overlap between reported populations, we extracted post-flight bone density values for 148 individuals, and in-flight and post-flight biochemical bone marker values for 124 individuals. A percentage difference in bone density relative to pre-flight was positive in the skull, +2.2% [95% confidence interval: +1.1, +3.3]; neutral in the thorax/upper limbs, -0.7% [-1.3, -0.2]; and negative in the lumbar spine/pelvis, -6.2 [-6.7, -5.6], and lower limbs, -5.4% [-6.0, -4.9]. In the lower limb region, the rate of bone loss was -0.8% [-1.1, -0.5] per month. Bone resorption markers increased hyperbolically with a time to half-max of 11 days [9, 13] and plateaued at 113% [108, 117] above pre-flight levels. Bone formation markers remained unchanged during the first 30 days and increased thereafter at 7% [5, 10] per month. Upon landing, resorption markers decreased to pre-flight levels at an exponential rate that was faster after longer flights, while formation markers increased linearly at 84% [39, 129] per month for 3-5 months post-flight. Microgravity-induced bone changes depend on the skeletal-site position relative to the gravitational vector. Post-flight recovery depends on spaceflight duration and is limited to a short post-flight period during which bone formation exceeds resorption.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.