- Soldiers' moms will no doubt be horrified. But the Pentagon
is looking into ways for GIs to fight for up to five days -- without eating
a single meal.
-
- During a mission, soldiers in the field typically don't
have the time, or the inclination, to chow down. That lack of food can
affect their battlefield performance. So Darpa, the U.S. military's far-out
research arm, wants scientists to figure out if soldiers can operate at
top levels -- without lunch breaks.
-
- "The question is: 'Are there temporary biochemical
approaches we can use to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of soldiers
when they're already worked to exhaustion?'" said a Darpa life sciences
consultant, who asked not to be named.
-
- The agency has a couple of ideas on how this might be
done: A cocktail of nutrients or so-called "nutraceuticals" could
help build endurance. Lowering soldiers' core body temperature might keep
them from overheating. Or, perhaps, the change could be made at the microscopic
level, by turbo-charging mitochondria -- the cell's energy suppliers.
-
- The Darpa project, called "Metabolic Dominance"
or "peak soldier performance," is part of a wider, future-facing
Pentagon research push to develop grunts who are pretty much immune to
normal human demands. The agency has sunk millions into programs to reduce
the need for sleep and is investigating ways to keep injured GIs pulling
the trigger for days on end -- without help from a medic.
-
- Like many of the projects in Darpa's dossier, Metabolic
Dominance is beyond ambitious, nutritionists say. Some doubt it will ever
work.
-
- "What this seems to be asking for is fantastic in
every sense of the word," said Marion Nestle, the former chair of
NYU's department of nutrition, food studies and public health in an e-mail
message. "Calories are calories, laws of thermodynamics still operate,
and humans are still human. I think they should use robots."
-
- But others associated with the project say certain aspects
of Metabolic Dominance may be only a few years away.
-
- "We're asking questions of biochemical processes
that have been developed over eons," a Darpa consultant said. "So
there aren't going to be clinical trials tomorrow. But some aspect of this
(regulating the body's internal heat) will be here faster than people think."
-
- Several Metabolic Dominance research grants have been
awarded. The agency declined to name the recipients, but in an online call
for proposals, Darpa outlined several possible areas of examination.
-
- Changing the body's metabolism is high on that list.
People have always been able to burn fats instead of carbohydrates for
short periods -- that's what the popular Atkins Diet is all about. But
doing this for extended periods can produce toxins and can dial down the
amount of energy the brain receives. Darpa wants to see if there are ways
to burn fats without the side effects.
-
- Work may also be done on a cell level. Mitochondria supplies
energy to the cells; the agency would like to see if the powerhouses could
be temporarily increased.
-
- Increased body heat can boost the production of certain
proteins, and these can trigger apoptosis -- programmed cellular death.
Darpa wants to find a way to control these proteins, or to lower body temperature
during exercise. When muscles are on the verge of shutting down, they can
switch away from using oxygen as fuel. But that anaerobic metabolism produces
lactic acid -- which is why you feel your biceps burn after lifting dumbbells.
Scientists wonder if production of the acid can be slowed or dissipated
quicker.
-
- Finally, Darpa simply wants to find ways to control hunger.
And the agency is looking at nutraceuticals, natural products and traditional
nutritional supplements to give the body what it requires when there's
no food around.
-
- These components of Metabolic Dominance, at least, are
more in line with ongoing Pentagon research to supply soldiers' nutritional
needs more efficiently.
-
- "It's been a problem for the military since the
beginning of the republic -- soldiers losing weight to the detriment of
withstanding stress," said Johanna Dwyer, a Tufts University professor
who sits on the National Academy of Science's committee on military nutrition.
"The acute threat of lead poisoning keeps (soldiers) from wanting
to eat."
-
- At the Army's Natick Soldier Systems Center, a prototype
First Strike Ration (PDF) has been developed, to supply high-energy cuisine
that needs no preparation. The meal includes a trio of small sandwiches,
"zapple sauce" -- a carbohydrate-enhanced apple mush -- and caffeinated
gum, according to Natick combat feeding scientist Diane Wood. The center
has also funded research into transdermal patches that would deliver nutrients,
just as nicotine patches give ex-smokers their fixes.
-
- Finally, Natick handed out grants to study how certain
herbs might enhance endurance and mental alertness. Dave Gangemi, the director
of Clemson University's Institute for Nutraceutical Research, received
a three-year, $900,000 grant to examine the effects of echinacea and other
plants. He believes extracts from the herb can be added to rations -- and
that should give soldiers an extra oomph.
-
- © Copyright 2004, Lycos, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
-
- http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,62297,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1</
FONT>
|
