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Development and Implementation of a Multi-Disciplinary Technology Enhanced Care Pathway for Youth and Adults with Concussion
Published on: January 20, 2019
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Food cravings during the first week of concussion
Mohsen Kazemi1, Sarah Donaldson1, Melissa Hamilton1
1Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association
|February 23, 2023
Summary
Following a concussion, specific food cravings, especially for sweets and carbohydrates, are linked to increased emotional symptoms. However, eating the craved food did not alleviate concussion symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Nutritional Neuroscience
Background:
- The brain primarily uses glucose for energy.
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can disrupt glucose metabolism and transport.
- Post-TBI symptoms may indicate underlying metabolic dysregulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate food cravings in the first week after a concussion.
- To determine if specific food cravings correlate with concussion symptom severity.
- To assess if consuming craved foods impacts concussion symptom experience.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study design.
- Online survey distributed via Canadian organization websites (November 2020 - February 2021).
- Inclusion criteria: individuals over 18 with at least one concussion in the past 12 months. Data collected from 97 participants (73 female, 24 male, primarily 18-40 years old).
Main Results:
- Participants reporting combined carbohydrate and sweet cravings experienced significantly more symptoms.
- These symptoms included increased emotions (p=0.04), irritability (p=0.03), sadness (p=0.04), nervousness (p=0.03), and sleep disturbances (p=0.05).
- Consumption of craved foods did not lead to a reduction in reported concussion symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Food cravings, particularly for carbohydrates and sweets, are associated with heightened emotional and sleep-related symptoms in the early post-concussion period.
- These cravings may signal a disruption in brain glucose regulation following traumatic brain injury.
- Current findings do not support the hypothesis that consuming craved foods alleviates concussion symptoms.
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