[The effect of moderate altitude on the maintenance of a good health status and high physical work capacity in cosmonauts over the course of a long period of time].

The development of the methods to maintain good health and high performance and occupational longevity of cosmonauts is an urgent problem. For this end, an effect of periodic (1-2 times a year) training in mid-lands on working and functional capacities of cosmonauts being members of cosmonauts corps for extended periods of time (20 years) was studied; the results of 40 trainings in mid-lands at 1,600 to 2,400 m above sea level are summarized. Before, during and after training, the physiological and physical parameters of the body (BP after Korotkoff, HR, VO2max) during exercise bicycle ergometer tests as well as the time of running on treadmill at a rate of 4.5 m/s to failure have been examined. The experimental findings indicated that after terminating physical training in mid-lands the major group of test subjects exhibited a significant decrease in HR as compared to the control value. During acclimatization, the arterial pressure (systolic and diastolic) measured when exercising on bicycle ergometer at 600 and 1000 kgm/min also reduced. As a result of improving the measured parameters after acclimatization to mountain environments the total body tolerance increased. A cumulative effect of the regular stay in mid-lands appears to change VO2max which did not decrease in man with age and the performance value (after i.v. Aulik classification) in the 40-49 age group subjects became very high.