U.S. combat troops may get part of their daily diet through their arms if a new concept works out. The new system could be a part of every combat service member's kit by 2025. Gerald Darsch, joint project director for the DOD Combat Feeding Program at Natick, said the current developmental version is about the size of a conventional adhesive bandage and three to four times thicker. The final version will be encased in some polymer to be very flexible, he speculated. The nutrients would augment or supplement a warfighter's diet during periods of high-intensity conflict.
Officials see a use for the system to combat cold weather and high altitude stress, for instance.
It could mean fewer dead or wounded U.S. service members. Darsch said the system could incorporate various micronutrients. Researchers, he said, are considering 65 to 70 chemicals that might be effective and safe. Two candidates, for example, are tyrsone, which has been proven to help combat cold and high altitude stress, and glutathione, which could help reduce muscle fatigue and increase the ability of the liver and kidneys to filter out metabolic wastes. We have identified some that might be beneficial, but there still needs to be a lot of research done.