NASA releases ‘Metabolomics: You Are What You Eat’ video

The video provides a broad overview of ongoing Twins Study research on the International Space Station.

May 27, 2016 11:56 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 01:46 am IST - New York

In this May 19, 2016 photo, retired astronaut Scott Kelly, right, speaks while standing next to his astronaut twin brother Mark Kelly during an event in West Orange, New Jersey.

In this May 19, 2016 photo, retired astronaut Scott Kelly, right, speaks while standing next to his astronaut twin brother Mark Kelly during an event in West Orange, New Jersey.

NASA has released a video to highlight its ‘Twins Study’ that investigates metabolic changes in retired U.S. astronaut >Scott Kelly and his twin brother Mark.

The video titled Metabolomics: You Are What You Eat and sixth in the mini-series of eight videos, provides a broad overview of ongoing Twins Study research on the International Space Station and the importance of the metabolome — the collection of an individual’s metabolites, NASA’s Human Research Programme said on Thursday.

Metabolites are key small molecules. They are the chemicals in the body that let you do all the things you do. It is all these things that give you energy, like glucose. They let you move, think, and digest your food.

Using a mass spectrometer, researchers can analyse blood and urine for secreted metabolites.

By following Scott and Mark Kelly both in space and on Earth, scientists can see a collection of changes occurring. Some chemicals are indicative of high stress but other chemicals are unknown. It is hoped that the Twins Study will show which stress molecules get activated at which times and what other kinds of metabolites are present and active.

Identical twins share the same fertilised egg, thus, share similar genes. Because of similarities, researchers can focus on the metabolic changes. Researchers believe that diet definitely impacts a person’s metabolites. They can see which foods cause what kinds of metabolic changes and how that evolves over time.

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