[Digestive system status after prolonged space flights].

In the crewmembers of four Salyut-6 long-term flights, enzyme excretory function of the gastro-intestinal tract was investigated. These studies included: gastric proenzyme, pepsinogen, and pancreatic enzymes, amylase and lipase, in blood and urine, trypsin in blood, intestinal enzymes, invertase and glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase in feces, and lipids in feces. The results obtained demonstrated a correlation between changes in enzyme excretion and space flight duration and profile. After the 140- and 175-day flight the most marked changes in the digestive organs were seen; they manifested as a simultaneous increase in secretory function of the stomach and the pancreas. However, after the 185-day flight, in which advanced countermeasures were used, the above changes were less distinct.