Traumatic brain injury is common among people who play competitive sports, ride motorcycles or are the unfortunate victims of motor vehicle injuries. Brain injury can be mild and temporary or can be very severe due to actual physical damage to the structures of the brain. In these more severe cases, traumatic brain injury may be complicated by a prolonged hospital or rehabilitation stay or the inability to take food by mouth and necessitating a gastrostomy tube. Research shows that several specific nutrients and supplements may help to reduce oxidative stress from traumatic brain injury. Early feeding of patients who are hospitalized may also help to improve patients with traumatic brain injuries.
Creatine
Creatine is a supplement used by bodybuilders to improve performance and to help in muscular healing. According to researchers at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky, creatine may have a neuroprotective effect against traumatic brain injury. Researchers experimented on rats and mice who were given brain injuries. Those animals that were given ischemic injuries and were treated with creatine were noted to improve, suggesting that creatine may have protected their brains or improved their brains sooner from the ischemic damage related to traumatic brain injury.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients that help to stabilize membranes. Omega-3 fatty acids supplements may stabilize the brain structures and normalize the levels of inflammatory cells during traumatic brain injury. Researchers at the Department of Physiological Science, University of California at Los Angeles, have experimented with rat models that mimic the damage from traumatic brain injury. These researchers note that rats treated with omega-3 fatty acid supplements can provide protection against the acute damage from traumatic brain injury and aid in the recovery of learning after traumatic brain injury.
Dietary Curcumin
A common dietary curry spice, curcurmin has antioxidant properties and has been evaluated by the same researchers at the Department of Physiological Science, University of California at Los Angeles. They note positive responses to oxidative stress in rats given dietary curcumin. They also noted that rats given a high-fat diet had more injury from traumatic brain injuries compared to rats who were not on a high-fat diet. These researchers surmise that the antioxidant properties of curcumin may act by reducing oxidative stress on the brain.
Early Feeding
An Institute of Medicine Concensus report related to traumatic brain injury in military personnel noted that traumatic brain injuries were common and could be delayed for weeks or years. The Department of Defense asked the IOM to review the role of nutrition in treatment of military personnel with TBI. One specific nutritional intervention suggested in the report was early feeding. It was suggested that patients with traumatic brain injury should receive, "a level of nutrition that represents more than 50 percent of the injured person's total energy expenditure and provides 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This nutrition level should be continued for two weeks." The report also related that more research needs to be done in this area to consider what specific interventions can help patients to address inflammation related to traumatic brain injury.
References
- Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury: Improving Acute and Subacute Health Outcomes in Military Personnel
- Mayo Clinic: Traumatic Brain Injury - Symptoms
- Mayo Clinic: Traumatic Brain Injury - Complications
- NCBI: Dietary Supplement Creatine Protects Against Traumatic Brain Injury
- "Journal of Neurotrauma"; Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids Normalize BDNF Levels, Reduce Oxidative Damage, and Counteract Earning Disability After Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats.; A Wu et. al, October 2004
- "Science Direct"; Dietary Curcumin Counteracts the Outcome of Traumatic Brain Injury on Oxidative Stress, Synaptic Plasticity, and Cognition.; A.We et. al; September 8, 2005
