High Dose Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Treatment of Sport Related Concussions

Summary

Concussions are defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces. Currently the standard of care in the treatment for concussions is cognitive and physical rest until symptoms resolve with a graduated return to activity. High dose omega-3 fatty acids have shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and membrane stabilizing properties. They have also been used in treatment of severe traumatic brain injury. The purpose of this study is to determine if early high dose omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes that have sustained a concussion will decrease the number of days out of competitive sports with a quicker symptom resolution, return to baseline neurocognitive functioning and postural stability using a randomized double blind placebo controlled study design. Once an athlete is identified as having sustained a concussion by the East Carolina University Sports Medicine staff and qualifies for the study, he/she will randomly be assigned to either high dose omega-3 fatty acid or placebo. Both groups will undergo standard and usual care for concussed athletes at East Carolina University. The number of days it takes the athlete to return to competitive athletics will be recorded, along with time to symptom resolution, normalization of their computerized neurocognitive testing (ImPact) and computerized postural stability testing (Biodex BioSway).

Timeline

Start

2013-07

Primary completion

2017-07

Completion

2017-07

Publications

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• Background McCrory P, Meeuwisse W, Johnston K, Dvorak J, Aubry M, Molloy M, Cantu R. Consensus statement on concussion in sport - The 3rd international conference on concussion in sport held in Zurich, November 2008. PM R. 2009 May;1(5):406-20. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2009.03.010. No abstract available.
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• Background Ma DW, Seo J, Davidson LA, Callaway ES, Fan YY, Lupton JR, Chapkin RS. n-3 PUFA alter caveolae lipid composition and resident protein localization in mouse colon. FASEB J. 2004 Jun;18(9):1040-2. doi: 10.1096/fj.03-1430fje. Epub 2004 Apr 14.
• Background Li Q, Wang M, Tan L, Wang C, Ma J, Li N, Li Y, Xu G, Li J. Docosahexaenoic acid changes lipid composition and interleukin-2 receptor signaling in membrane rafts. J Lipid Res. 2005 Sep;46(9):1904-13. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M500033-JLR200. Epub 2005 Jun 1.
• Background Massaro M, Habib A, Lubrano L, Del Turco S, Lazzerini G, Bourcier T, Weksler BB, De Caterina R. The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoate attenuates endothelial cyclooxygenase-2 induction through both NADP(H) oxidase and PKC epsilon inhibition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Oct 10;103(41):15184-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0510086103. Epub 2006 Oct 3.
• Background Massaro M, Basta G, Lazzerini G, Carluccio MA, Bosetti F, Solaini G, Visioli F, Paolicchi A, De Caterina R. Quenching of intracellular ROS generation as a mechanism for oleate-induced reduction of endothelial activation and early atherogenesis. Thromb Haemost. 2002 Aug;88(2):335-44.
• Background Endres S, Ghorbani R, Kelley VE, Georgilis K, Lonnemann G, van der Meer JW, Cannon JG, Rogers TS, Klempner MS, Weber PC, et al. The effect of dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the synthesis of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor by mononuclear cells. N Engl J Med. 1989 Feb 2;320(5):265-71. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198902023200501.
• Background Calder PC. Immunomodulation by omega-3 fatty acids. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2007 Nov-Dec;77(5-6):327-35. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2007.10.015. Epub 2007 Nov 26.
• Background Mills JD, Bailes JE, Sedney CL, Hutchins H, Sears B. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and reduction of traumatic axonal injury in a rodent head injury model. J Neurosurg. 2011 Jan;114(1):77-84. doi: 10.3171/2010.5.JNS08914. Epub 2010 Jul 16.
• Background McCrea M, Guskiewicz KM, Marshall SW, Barr W, Randolph C, Cantu RC, Onate JA, Yang J, Kelly JP. Acute effects and recovery time following concussion in collegiate football players: the NCAA Concussion Study. JAMA. 2003 Nov 19;290(19):2556-63. doi: 10.1001/jama.290.19.2556.
• Lucke-Wold B, Zasler ND, Ruchika F, Weisman S, Le D, Brunicardi J, Kong I, Ghumman H, Persad S, Mahan D, Delawan M, Shah S, Aghili-Mehrizi S. Supplement and nutraceutical therapy in traumatic brain injury. Nutr Neurosci. 2025 Jun;28(6):709-743. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2024.2404782. Epub 2024 Dec 30.

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