Omega-3 new potential therapy for recovery from head injury
Omega-3 new potential therapy for recovery from head injury
Published the results of the first study demonstrating the benefits of Omega 3 on the brain during recovery following traumatic brain injury. Omega-3s could be useful in reducing the long-term negative effects on the brain of traumatic brain injury. In particular, experts say the greatest effects could be achieved by giving the patient these fatty acids as early as the emergency room. Suggesting this are Michael Lewis, Parviz Ghassemi and Joseph Hibbeln, authors of a study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine1 in which, for the first time, the effects of Omega-3 administration during recovery after head injury were tested.
Omega-3 for brain health
Years of research have shown that Omega-3s, the "friend" fats of health, are important for the nervous system from the earliest stages of development. For this reason, experts advise pregnant women to ensure adequate intake of these nutrients during both pregnancy and breastfeeding. Not only that, from infancy through old age these fatty acids help to keep the brain healthy, and more and more research is supporting the hypothesis that Omega-3s are also important for cognitive abilities.
An aid in head injury
Interest in the potential benefits exerted by these nutrients following traumatic brain injury, a leading cause of traumatic death and disability, has also increased in recent years. The mortality associated with this type of trauma has been greatly reduced thanks to advances in surgical and intensive care methods, but there are still no specific therapies for dealing with the recovery phase. In fact, recovery goes through a period when the brain has to deal with problems such asinflammation and the presence of free radicals. In 2010, the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) singled out Omega-3s as among the molecules whose benefits should be tested in this phase of convalescence, and the study by Lewis and colleagues is the first to try to shed light on this potential. The researchers administered high doses of these fatty acids to an adolescent recovering from a serious motorcycle accident. Specifically, 10 days after the head injury, the boy received 9.756 grams of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 6.756 grams of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), the major food-derived Omega-3s. The therapy, the authors explained, allowed gradual improvements both cognitively and physically, so much so that 3 months after the accident the boy graduated from high school and 4 months after the injury was able to return home, where he continued the therapy throughout the following year.
High hopes
The results obtained seem to indicate that Omega-3s provide the nutritional basis for the brain to heal. Since this is, however, the first case in which these fatty acids have been used during recovery after head injury, only after further research will it be possible to confirm the benefits of Omega-3s in recovering brain function.
Source 1. Lewis M, Ghassemi P, Hibbeln J, "Therapeutic use of omega-3 fatty acids in severe head trauma," Am J Emerg Med. 2012 Aug 3
