Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounts for up to one-third of combat-related injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to some estimates. TBI is also a major problem among civilians, especially those who engage in certain sports. At the request of the Department of Defense, the IOM examined the potential role of nutrition in the treatment of and resilience against TBI.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Summary
Part I: Background
1 Introduction
2 Nutrition in Clinical Practice Guidelines for Traumatic Brain Injury
3 Understanding Pathophysiological Changes
Part II: Nutrition and TBI
4 Approach for Selecting Nutritional Interventions: Mechanistic Targets
5 Acquiring Resilience to TBI Prior to Injury
6 Energy and Protein Needs During Early Feeding Following Traumatic Brain Injury
7 Antioxidants
8 Branched-Chain Amino Acids
9 Choline
10 Creatine
11 Ketogenic Diet
12 Magnesium
13 Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)
14 Polyphenols
15 Vitamin D
16 Zinc
Part III: Recommendations
17 Summary of Recommendations
Appendixes
Appendix A: Agenda
Appendix B: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Traumatic Brain Injury
Appendix C: Workshop Speakers' Papers
Appendix D: Glossary
Appendix E: Acronyms
Appendix F: Committee Member Biographical Sketches