Laboratory mice who spend only two weeks in orbit show early signs of liver problems upon returning to Earth, raising concerns about the consequences it may have for the man a long stay in space, researchers said in a study released Wednesday.
NASA is already studying the long-term effects of space travel on the human body and recently sent one of its veteran astronauts, Scott Kelly, on a mission of 340 days on the International Space Station (ISS) with a Russian cosmonaut .
"Before this study we did not have much information on the impact of space travel on the liver," said Karen Jonscher, lead author of the study, associate professor of anesthesiology and health of Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado.
"We knew that astronauts often return with symptoms of diabetes, but are usually resolved quickly," he added.
The mice spent 13 and a half days aboard the shuttle Atlantis in 2011, after which the researchers observed the development of some cells that can damage the liver long term, increased fat in the body and indicators of early fibrosis .