Studies of the protein and the energy metabolism in man during a wintering in Antarctica

Abstract

During the 29th Soviet Antarctic Expedition in Novolazarevskaya from March 1984 to March 1985, the protein and energy metabolisms were studied in six expeditioners from the German Democratic Republic. The investigations were carried out at the beginning of the expedition (May), during the polar night (July) and during the polar day (December). The effect of a special stress situation (sledge trek in April 1984) was investigated in one subject. The stable nitrogen isotope ¹⁵N was used to study the protein metabolism. The assessment of the energy metabolism was based on the oxygen consumption, which was determined by means of a spirograph. In addition, the vital capacity, the breath minute volume, the blood pressure, etc. were measured. The following results were obtained: During the polar night, the utilisation of the dietary proteins and the whole body protein synthesis calculated by means of the ¹⁵N excretion of the total nitrogen in urine were greater (73.6±0.9 % and 3.48±0.17 g protein d⁻¹ kg⁻¹, n=3) than the respective values during the polar day (69.7±1.2, p<0.05, n=3 and 3.05±0.07, p<0.05, n=3) and at the beginning of the expedition (69.6±1.4, p<0.02, n=5 and 2.81±0.09, p<0.01, n=5). The lowest values (58.0 % and 2.43 g protein d⁻¹ kg⁻¹) were obtained in the subject after the trek. The resting metabolic rate (in kJ d⁻¹ m⁻²) was decreased during the polar night (45.6±5.0, n=4) in comparison with the polar day (61.5±11.3, n=3) and the beginning of the expedition (52.3±9.6, n=4) with p<0.01 in both cases.

Keywords:

• Antarctica
• energy
• isotope application
• man
• medicine
• metabolism
• nitrogen
• nitrogen-15
• proteins
• tracer techniques
• urine

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the members of the GDR group of the 29th SAE for taking part in the metabolic investigations and V.E. Shirshov, head of the Soviet station Novolazarevskaya during the 29th SAE, as well as Y.M. Goreyev, station doctor, for their support and help with the investigations.

Notes

^†Original version published in Vol. 143 of ‘ZfI-Mitteilungen’, Leipzig, Germany, 1988, pp. 149–188.

The trek was for the transport of expedition equipment and diesel fuel. It lasted several weeks during which two blizzards of several days duration occurred. The route was from the station over a shelf ice area, about 100 km wide and in many places hard to get over, to the ice barrier and back to the station.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Klaus Hirschberg

Deceased.