Astronauts lose as much bone mass in space as they would on Earth in a decade, new data show. They are a major concern for future missions to Mars, according to sciencealert.com.

Previous studies have shown that astronauts lose 1 to 2 percent of their body weight every month they spend in space. bone density.

To find out how long it takes astronauts to recover after returning to Earth, a new study scanned the wrists and ankles of 17 astronauts before, during, and after their stay on the International Space Station.

The astronauts lost as much bone density as they would lose on Earth in 10 years, said study co-author Steven Boyd, who works at the University of Calgary in Canada and directs the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health.

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The researchers found that bone density in the calves of nine astronauts had not fully recovered after a year on Earth, and they still lacked about a decade of bone mass.

Returning astronauts from the longest missions, which lasted four to seven months, recovered the slowest.

Boyd said this is a major concern for planned future missions to Mars, where astronauts may spend years in space.

in 2020 a study conducted predicts that after a three-year fight to Mars, 33 percent of astronauts are at risk of osteoporosis.

"Even if you exercise for two hours a day, the other 22 hours you're kind of bedridden," said a doctor who wasn't involved in the study.

"Silent Disease"

The new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also showed how spaceflight changes the structure of the bones themselves.

S. Boyd said that if we imagine the bones of the body as the Eiffel Tower, after being in space, it seems as if some of the connecting metal rods that hold the structure have been lost.

"And when we come back to Earth, we compact what's left, but we don't actually create new rods,".

Still, some astronauts didn't tend to notice the drastic bone loss, Boyd said.

Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk, who spent the most time in space, said that after a space flight, it takes the longest time for his bones and muscles to recover.

"But one day after landing, I feel good again as an Earthling,".