Recent studies suggest that most TBI patients get far fewer calories than they need .
Proper Nutrition Could Boost Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury
In the first few days after a traumatic brain injury ( TBI ), food is often an afterthought as clinicians focus on minimizing the damage to the brain . However , a new study suggests that getting enough calories can help boost the brain ’ s healing process , making nutrition an important consideration for improving TBI care .
When a person comes to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury , many patients go for several days without eating or even receiving nutrition through a tube or intravenous line . Even then , the tools clinicians use to calculate a patient ’ s nutritional needs are not designed for the unique circumstances of a brain injury , and recent studies suggest that most TBI patients get far fewer calories than they need .
Key to the research is a new biomarker the team developed to assess nutritional status . While it is possible to measure the amount of calories a person consumes , measuring whether the amount of calories provided to the patient to meet their energy needs is more complex . To fill this gap , the researchers created a way to measure the amount of glucose produced internally as the body processes energy inputs . This metric , called fractional gluconeogenesis , ranges from zero ( fully fed ) to 100 % ( drastically underfed ).
For the study , researchers tracked how nutritional status affects fractional gluconeogenesis and protein synthesis in a rat model of TBI . They used deuterium oxide , also known as heavy water , as a tracer to assess fractional gluconeogenesis and protein synthesis in different parts of the brain and body . By comparing these dynamics in rats with different levels of caloric intake , they were able to gain insights into how nutrition affects brain healing processes .
“ Our study found that after TBI , the brain responds abnormally by increasing protein synthesis in the higher brain region while decreasing it in the lower regions ,” said Curl .
Previous studies have shown that being underfed leads to reduced protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and liver cells . The new findings suggest a similar thing happens in the brain . “ Understanding this decrease in protein turnover during the brain healing process is crucial because a caloric deficit may affect the patient ’ s ability to heal from their injury ,” said Curl .
The findings suggest that providing adequate nutrition in the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury can help the brain manufacture the proteins it needs for the healing process , without having to prioritize certain brain regions over others .
In addition to feeding patients sooner as part of routine practice , Curl noted that clinicians could use fractional gluconeogenesis as a practical metric to assess whether patients are getting enough calories during TBI treatment and recovery . g
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Recent studies suggest that most TBI patients get far fewer calories than they need .