Concussions (traumatic brain injury) getting big press coverage, vitamin D might be both a cause and a solution

Reasons to associate concussion with low vitamin D

1. Those people having concussions have lower vitamin D levels
2. Increase in the number of concussions as vitamin D levels have dropped
3. Giving vitamin D (and other supplements) shortens recovery time from concussions
4. Giving vitamin D resulted in fewer concussions (football players)

Researchers tie Gulf War illness to brain damage USA Today March 2013

• Using fMRI machines, the Georgetown University researchers could see anomalies in the bundle of nerve fibers that interpret pain signals in the brain in 31 Gulf War veterans. The research will be published Wednesday in PLOS ONE journal.
  CAUTION: The FMRI magnetic fields MAY substantially reduce the vitamin D levels - Update May 2013
• CLICK HERE for the article and PDF

Concussion linked to risk for dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and ADHD Aug 2020

Increase risk for 190,000 People in Manitoba, Canada
dementia 1.7;    Parkinson’s disease 1.6;    ADHD 1.4;    mood and anxiety disorder 1.72
It gives increased risk with 2 and 3 concussions
“This association should not be misconstrued as causation.”
Does not speculate on the reason for the association
The founder of VitaminDWiki finds it interesting that all are associated with low vitamin D

CBS 60 minutes section on Traumatic Brain Injury in the military May 2013

• CBS interviewed a Major who would have preferred losing a limb to the TBI, Was almost suicidal
• lot of confusion in the military between TBI and post-traumatic stress
• Long-term cognitive problems if you get 2nd TBI before the first one heals
• A new brain facility was made (with donated money) – which had far higher-resolution imaging
• They were able to find abnormalities in 1/3 of people who had not been previously detected
• But the facility can only process about 20 people per month – vs. 10,000 are suspected as still having TBI
• Bottom line – They still have no way of treating brain damage

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Increase in Concussions - 5X for girls, 2X for boys
(while vitamin D and Omega-3 have been decreasing)

Washington Post 2013

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A New Way to Care for Young Brains New York Times May 2013

Highlights of a long interesting article on the concerns by parents of concussions in school sports

• In the last three years, dozens of youth concussion clinics have opened in nearly 35 states
• Boston Children’s Hospital sports concussion clinic business increased 15X in 5 years
• 43 states passed laws requiring school-age athletes who have sustained a concussion to have written authorization from a medical professional
• 90 % of concussions are resolved in a month, if not sooner.
• about 4,000,000 concussions diagnosed annually in America
• There is no wall chart or medical textbook that says just how much rest or inactivity is needed
• In the worst case, known as a second-impact syndrome, it can be a fatal combination.
• One of the most commonly known treatment protocols is cognitive rest,
• Tests, which measure reaction time, learning and memory skills, and how quickly a person thinks and solves problems, are stored at the beginning of the season.
• “Concussion clinics might be seen as a loss leader for the halo effect they bring the institution.”
• Emergency room visits by children and adolescents with brain injuries have increased by more than 60 % in the past eight years,

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Hypothesis by VitaminDWiki:

1. Less vitamin D ==> thinner bones ==> More skull fractures = TBI
2. Less vitamin D ==> less able to undergo trauma (such as a concussion)
   • Note: Traumas consume vitamin D, so a series of traumas will result in very low vitamin D levels
3. Less vitamin D ==> less muscle and slower muscle response ==> fall more
4. The increase in TBI is associated with a decrease in vitamin D

Note: Seniors have more falls when they have lower vitamin D.

Overview Falling, Fractures and Vitamin D

CDC US 2007 (was updated 2014)

• There was an increase in TBI-related emergency department visits (14.4%) and hospitalizations (19.5%) from 2002 to 2006.
• A 62% increase in fall-related TBI was seen in emergency departments among children aged 14 years and younger from 2002 to 2006.
• There was an increase in fall-related TBI among adults aged 65 and older;
  • 46% increase in emergency department visits,
  • 34% increase in hospitalizations, and
  • 27% increase in TBI-related deaths from 2002 to 2006.

Misc TBI charts

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Combination treatment with progesterone and vitamin D hormone may be more effective than monotherapy for nervous system injury and disease.

Front Neuroendocrinol. 2009 Jul;30(2):158-72. Epub 2009 Apr 24; Cekic M, Sayeed I, Stein DG.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.

More than two decades of pre-clinical research and two recent clinical trials have shown that progesterone (PROG) and its metabolites exert beneficial effects after traumatic brain injury (TBI) through a number of metabolic and physiological pathways that can reduce damage in many different tissues and organ systems. Emerging data on 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D(3) (VDH), a steroid hormone, have begun to provide evidence that, like PROG, it is neuroprotective, although some of its actions may involve different pathways. Both agents have high safety profiles, act on many different injury and pathological mechanisms, and are clinically relevant, easy to administer, and inexpensive. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in a large segment of the population, especially the elderly and institutionalized, and can significantly affect recovery after CNS injury. The combination of PROG and VDH in pre-clinical and clinical studies is a novel and compelling approach to TBI treatment.

PMID: 19394357 CLICK HERE for PDF

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Traumatic brain injury and aging: is a combination of progesterone and vitamin D hormone a simple solution to a complex problem?

Neurotherapeutics. 2010 Jan;7(1):81-90; Cekic M, Stein DG; Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.

Although progress is being made in the development of new clinical treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI), little is known about whether such treatments are effective in older patients, in whom frailty, prior medical conditions, altered metabolism, and changing sensitivity to medications all can affect outcomes following a brain injury. In this review, we consider TBI to be a complex, highly variable, and systemic disorder that may require a new pharmacotherapeutic approach, one using combinations or cocktails of drugs to treat the many components of the injury cascade. We review some recent research on the role of vitamin D hormone and vitamin D deficiency in older subjects and on the interactions of these factors with progesterone, the only treatment for TBI that has shown clinical effectiveness. Progesterone is now in phase III multicenter trial testing in the United States. We also discuss some of the potential mechanisms and pathways through which the combination of hormones may work, singly and in synergy, to enhance survival and recovery after TBI.

PMID: 20129500 PDF is attached at the bottom of this page

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See also VitaminDWiki

• 5 Traumatic brain injuries resulted in 2.8 X increased risk of dementia – April 2018
• Concussion which caused unconsciousness increased risk of Parkinson's by 50 percent (300,000 military) - May 2018
• Having several concussions as a teenager doubled the risk of Multiple Sclerosis – Sept 2017
• Vitamin D aided progesterone in reducing traumatic brain injury – RCT Dec 2012 Iran
• If less than 20 ng then 2X more likely to be fatigued after brain injury - April 2010
• Reduced vitamin D and BMD and Neurological Conditions – April 2011
• All items in Surgery, trauma and vitamin D352 items
  • most traumas use up a lot of vitamin D
• 2,500 years ago Herodotus noticed that more sunshine (vitamin D) resulted in stronger skulls
• Traumatic Brain Injury reduces vitamin D which causes chronic fatigue
• Fat soluble vitamins decrease quickly after trauma
• Overview Sports and Vitamin D - faster muscles, fewer injuries, etc.
• Football Brain injuries prevented by Omega-3 – RCT Jan 2016
• High school sports did extremely well and eliminated injuries and concussions with Vitamin D Matthews
• A Concussion-Free Football Season: How one High School beat the odds - July 2012 Matthews
• Surgeon on a mission to promote vitamin D - Dec 2012 Matthews
• PDF attached to the bottom of this page Matthews Dec 2012 - briefly mentions the use of Omega-3 with Vitamin D, along with the other members of the team
• Vitamin D Helps Atlanta High School Athletes - Feb 2012 Matthews
• Magnesium may be an important way to treat brain trauma
• Brain lesions might be associated with vitamin D deficiency – March 2012
• Traumatic brain injury treated by Vitamin D Progesterone Omega-3 and glutamine – May 2013 Matthews
• Traumatic Brain Injury in military - vitamin D - 2014
• Traumatic Brain Injury person found great benefit from Posti Science (Neural plasticity)
  Off topic: Brain Plasticity (best way to exercise your brain) – Interview Dec 2012

See also web

• The Best Supplements for Concussions 2020
  • Includes Trans-Resveratrol, Vitamin D, Omega-3, Turmeric, Magnesium, Zinc
• A review of the neuroprotective role of vitamin D in traumatic brain injury with implications for supplementation post-concussion https://doi.org/10.3109/02699052.2016.1147081 May 2016
• Vitamin D Deficiency in Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Relationship with Severity of Injury and Quality of Life: A Prospective, Observational Study - April 2017
   Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
• Progesterone and vitamin D combination therapy modulates inflammatory response after traumatic brain injury June 2015
  The combination is needed. 40 IU of vitamin d/kg of the weight of the rat. The publisher wants $52 for the PDF.
• Obama Not Sure He'd Allow a Son to Play Football USA today was one of the many that posted the Associated Press News item
  You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about.
  Quote from interview to being published in New Republic. Feb 11, 2013

• Brain Injury Infographic, a portion of which is below

• Cycling Is the Top Sport for Head Injuries New York Times, June 2013
  bicycling 86,000; Football 47,000; Baseball 38,394: 2009
  90 % of US bicyclists killed were not wearing helmets. The majority were middle-aged men.
• Progesterone and low-dose vitamin D hormone treatment enhances sparing of memory following traumatic brain injury. April 2012
  Atlanta, Georgia (location of Dr. Matthews), full text online, rat study
• Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury: Improving Acute and Subacute Health Outcomes in Military Personnel (2011)
  • pages 283-290 on Vitamin D
• Vitamin D Deficiency Associated With Chronic Fatigue in Brain Injured Patients Science Daily April 2010
• Chronic fatigue link to vitamin D deficiency May 2010
• Self-Administered Light Therapy May Improve Cognitive Function After Traumatic Brain Injury no vitamin D
  • this is one of a great many items on the web from the same source
• A large CDC study of TBI 2007 is attached at the bottom of this page
• N.F.L. Agrees to Settle Concussion Suit for $765 Million NYT Aug 2013
  settle a lawsuit brought by more than 4,500 players and their families,
  chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., is a degenerative brain disease similar to Alzheimer’s disease. It is believed to be caused only by repeated head trauma.
• Chart: Trauma Hospitals Fail to Screen for Civilian PTSD ProPublica March 2014
  Most Hospitals surveyed did not screen for PTSD - often just too expensive. No mention of vitamin D
• For catchers, concussion dangers all too real USA Today Sept 2013
  18 in 2013 (9 were off of catchers masks), 13 in 2012, and 11 in 2011
• Nutritional treatment for traumatic brain injury March 2014
  The purpose of this review is to highlight four promising nutritional intervention options that have been identified, omega-3, zinc, vitamin D and glutamine,
• Traumatic Brain Injury has increased in the military by 170 %

• Make Pot Legal for Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury NY Times, Sept 2017
  The author is a vet for whom pills did not help, but pot (CBD?) did
• Brain Changes in College Football Players Raise New Concerns NY Times May 2014
  Compared the size of the hippocampus of 3 college groups    data from JAMA article
  Never played football = normal hippocampus
  Football players who never had a concussion = 16% smaller than normal
  Football players who had 1 or more concussions = 25% smaller than normal
• Nutritional treatment for acute and chronic traumatic brain injury patients May 2014
  Human studies: omega 3 fats, vitamin D, NAcetylcysteine, branched-chain amino acids, and zinc
  Animal studies: alpha lipoic acid, magnesium, taurine, coenzyme Q10, and many phytonutrients (such as resveratrol)
• Finding a link between genes and brain injury: Are some people predisposed to trauma? Washington Post May 2014
  3 variations in the APOE gene ==> 10X as likely to report a concussion and more than 8X as likely to have suffered a brain injury as a result.
• Perhaps Ali's Parkenson's Disease was due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy Slate June 2016
• Sever TBI doubles the chance of dementia New Scientist July 2017
  "The risk of dementia was highest in people who sustained severe, traumatic head injuries between the ages of 41 and 50."
• A neuropathologist has examined the brains of 111 N.F.L. players — and 110 were found to have C.T.E., the degenerative disease linked to repeated blows to the head NYT July 2017
  Note: >99% of the donated brains autopsied had CTE. Not all NFL brains were autopsied.
  • Scientific American comments on the article that all alcoholics drink alcohol, but not all alcohol drinkers become
  • "Out of the millions exposed to concussions through recreational sports, the count of confirmed cases of CTE in the research literature is in the tens."
  
   Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

Helmets do not prevent concussions.

Men playing tackle football before age 12 were 2X more likely to have brain problems.

Playing Football Before 12 Is Tied to Brain Problems Later New York Times Sept 2017

• ". . based on a sample of 214 former players, with an average age of 51. Of those, 43 played through high school, 103 played through college, and 68 played in the N.F.L."

Observations by VitaminDWiki

1. This sample is biased. It ignores football drop-outs
2. Suspect that concussions have greatly increased in the past 40 years due to less protection from lower Omega-3 and Vitamin D

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Commonalities and dissimilarities of TBI and PTSD

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Are you more likely to get a concussion after having one? 2008

After having one concussion, you are more likely to have another — some doctors estimate you increase your risk up to three times.

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Nutrients needed vs the part of the brain which was concussed

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Football brain has signs of wear and tear even without any concussion symptoms - NYT Aug 2019

Football May Take a Toll on the Brain, Even Without Concussions
Symptoms of a concussion after a resounding hit to the head include:

• lose consciousness,
• have a headache,
• feel dizzy or disoriented,
• be unable to follow a moving finger with his or her eyes, and
• hear ringing in the ears

Based on "A common neural signature of brain injury in concussion and sub concussion."

• Looked at the midbrains of a team of college football players and found a strong correlation between brain damage with accelerometer readings which were independent of any concussion symptoms
• DOI: 10.1126/sci-adv.aau3460 - Free PDF

Short URL for this page = http://is.gd/concussiond