{"id":27667,"date":"2026-11-03T03:08:25","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T03:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/11\/03\/theodoros-pavlidis-on-nutritional-countermeasures-to-spaceflight-studied-at-uri-the-national-herald\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T03:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T03:08:25","slug":"theodoros-pavlidis-on-nutritional-countermeasures-to-spaceflight-studied-at-uri-the-national-herald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/11\/03\/theodoros-pavlidis-on-nutritional-countermeasures-to-spaceflight-studied-at-uri-the-national-herald\/","title":{"rendered":"Theodoros Pavlidis on Nutritional Countermeasures to Spaceflight Studied at URI – The National Herald"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working in assistant professor Marie Mortreux\u2019s Metabolism and Muscle Biology Lab, Theodoros Pavlidis extracts proteins from muscle samples. Photo: URI\/Catherine Scott
KINGSTON, RI \u2013 As humans spend longer periods of time in outer space and venture further from Earth, it\u2019s increasingly important for scientists to learn how varied gravity levels affect muscle function and muscle loss, and how those effects can be counteracted or minimized.
Theodoros Pavlidis, a second-year doctoral student who is pursuing a PhD in health sciences with a specialization in nutrition at the University of Rhode Island (URI), is seeking solutions to these challenges by studying compounds in foods.
\u201cMy research examines nutritional countermeasures that may help protect human health during spaceflight, with my current work focusing on resveratrol, a compound found in grapes and other plants,\u201d said Pavlidis, who is from Nicosia, Cyprus. \u201cI\u2019m investigating whether resveratrol can reduce muscle loss, preserve muscle function, and mitigate metabolic dysfunction associated with altered gravity. The long-term goal is to help make human spaceflight safer.\u201d
Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol that is best known as a component of grape skins. It has been studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also found in peanuts, blueberries, cranberries, mulberries, and cocoa.
University of Rhode Island PhD student Theodoros Pavlidis observes the force produced by an animal model following leg contractions using an Aurora Scientific system. Photo: URI\/Catherine Scott
Pavlidis first learned about resveratrol while working on his thesis for his master\u2019s degree in clinical dietetics at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus.
\u201cDuring my master\u2019s studies, I investigated nutrition-based interventions for mitigating DNA damage induced from space radiation,\u201d said Pavlidis. \u201cThat experience deepened my interest in space health and motivated me to continue working in the field.\u201d
Pavlidis presented his master\u2019s research at the scientific assembly of the Committee on Space Research in Florence, Italy, in August.
While searching for a PhD program that matched his research interests, Pavlidis discovered the work of Marie Mortreux, an assistant professor in the URI College of Health Sciences<\/a>\u2019 Department of Nutrition<\/a>.
\u201cHer research closely aligned with my interests and offered me the opportunity to build upon my previous work at a doctoral level,\u201d said Pavlidis. \u201cAfter speaking with her, I knew URI was the right fit.\u201d
Mortreux leads URI\u2019s Metabolism and Muscle Biology Lab<\/a>. Her research includes working with an international team involved in analyzing how the skeletal muscles of 24 mice would react to four different levels of gravity<\/a>, including that of Mars.
Pavlidis is also working with animal models but is focused on lunar gravity.
Theodoros Pavlidis performs a bicinchoninic acid assay to measure protein concentration. Photo: URI\/Catherine Scott
\u201cTheo is using a partial weight bearing device I created, and hindlimb suspension, that helps simulate the effects of microgravity and partial gravity in rodents,\u201d said Mortreux, who is Pavlidis\u2019 Ph.D. advisor.
The research will also compare how male and female mice react to the tests.
\u201cMales and females respond very differently to spaceflight, so it\u2019s possible that this nutritional countermeasure will not have the same impact and effect on both,\u201d said Mortreux. \u201cWe want to make sure to provide tailored measures to keep all astronauts healthy.\u201d
Earlier this year, Pavlidis entered NASA\u2019s Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table, which required teams to submit concepts for food systems that could be used on the surface of Mars and the moon.
\u201cI served as a nutrition specialist on my team,\u201d said Pavlidis. \u201cMy role focused on developing nutritious, appealing meal plans and evaluating how nutrition could help address health challenges associated with future Mars missions.\u201d
When the winning teams were announced in September, Pavlidis\u2019 team was recognized as the international winner<\/a> for the project, \u201cAstrofood from Ellezelles, Belgium with Food Resilience Ecosystem for Space Habitats (FRESH).\u201d
Pavlidis expects to complete his PhD within the next three years. Once he graduates, he hopes to establish a career in which he can research how nutrition can help maintain health and performance during long-duration space missions.
When asked how his Cypriot heritage influences his work, Pavlidis told The National Herald: \u201cComing from Cyprus gives me a strong sense of connection to home as I pursue research internationally. I hope my journey encourages students back home, in Greece, and beyond to pursue interests that may initially seem unconventional. Combining nutrition and space once felt like an unusual path, but it has become the focus of my research. That experience has taught me that even when others may not immediately see an idea\u2019s potential, a question that matters to you is worth pursuing.\u201d
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