Concussions in Sports: Nutrients for Healing

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that may result in a bad headache, altered levels of alertness, or unconsciousness. It temporarily interferes with the way your brain works. Concussions are on the rise in high school sports, and it can occur in any sport or reaction activities. The first priority nutritionally would be to help heal the current injury—in this case, the part of the brain injured by the concussion. By speeding the healing process, the overall pain and the duration of pain is reduced, thereby lessening the amount of substance P released within the thalamus of the brain.Reviewed studies reveals that the speedy intake of the below macro and micro nutrients should be made common practice “almost immediately” —both right after a concussion and for two weeks following the concussion.Initially, after Injury:1) Protein– Helps heal the injury. Take 1g/kg of weight, within a day of the injury.2) Creatine– Helps give the brain an intense and immediate hit of energy needed to help cells heal right after an injury.3) DHA– An omega 3 fish oil, which is an essential brain lipid that is criti cal for maximal brain health and protection.4) Antioxidants-Alpha Lipoic Acid: protects the both the fatty and water soluble part of the cells.5) Choline– Critical for brain development.6) Vitamin D– All the known benefits, and now considered neuro protect tive as well.7) Zinc– Enzyme for central nervous system health. The brain is part of the central nervous system.8) Magnesium– One of the best weapons against delayed brain injury. It is a co-factor in over 300 metabolic reactions, reduces inflammation, and elevates glutathione in cells (an antioxidant).