Evaluation of the Impact of a Dietary and Nutritional Intervention on Persistent Post-concussive Symptoms

NCT ID: NCT05589064

Last Updated: 2024-12-13

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

120 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-10-01

Study Completion Date

2025-06-30

Brief Summary

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Concussions affect thousands of Canadians every year. Although the effects are usually temporary, 10-15% of adults experience persistent symptoms likely to last several weeks or even months. It is suggested that nutritional interventions should be considered in concussion management because nutrition can act on several mechanisms of brain injury. However, to date, no study has assessed the impact of dietary interventions on the recovery of people with persistent post-concussive symptoms.

This randomized controlled trial aims to determine the impact of a dietary and nutritional intervention on the physical, cognitive, behavioural and emotional symptoms of patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms in New Brunswick, Canada. Patients will be randomized to one of three groups: 1) dietary treatments and nutritional supplements (experimental group A), 2) nutritional supplements (experimental group B), and 3) physiotherapy treatments (control group). Patients in group A will receive four consultations with a dietitian over eight weeks, in addition to conventional physiotherapy treatments. These patients will receive nutritional counselling and omega-3, vitamin D and creatine supplements. Patients in group B will be prescribed the same supplements as those in group A by their doctor and receive physiotherapy treatments. Finally, patients in the control group will only receive physiotherapy treatments. Patient symptoms will be measured using a questionnaire constructed from tools commonly used in practice. This questionnaire will be completed at the first physiotherapy session and 2, 4 and 8 weeks after the start of the intervention.

Detailed Description

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Concussions affect thousands of Canadians every year. Although the effects are usually temporary, 10-15% of adults experience persistent symptoms likely to last several weeks or even months. Some studies have explored the impact of pharmaceuticals on treating post-concussive symptoms. Still, these have shown little success, leading the scientific community to consider multidisciplinary approaches to treating and managing concussions. Recently, it has been suggested that nutritional interventions should be considered in concussion management because nutrition can act on several mechanisms of brain injury. Some nutritional supplements have shown beneficial effects on the speed of recovery and the degree of severity of symptoms related to moderate or severe head trauma. Other studies have shown a link between malnutrition and low neurological and cognitive scores. However, to date, no study has assessed the impact of dietary interventions on the recovery of people with persistent post-concussive symptoms.

This randomized controlled trial aims to determine the impact of a dietary and nutritional intervention on the physical, cognitive, behavioural and emotional symptoms of patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms in New Brunswick, Canada. Patients will be randomized to one of three groups: 1) dietary treatments and nutritional supplements (experimental group A), 2) nutritional supplements (experimental group B), and 3) physiotherapy treatments (control group). Patients in group A will receive four consultations with a dietitian over eight weeks, in addition to conventional physiotherapy treatments. These patients will receive nutritional counselling and omega-3, vitamin D and creatine supplements. Patients in group B will be prescribed the same supplements as those in group A by their doctor and receive physiotherapy treatments. Finally, patients in the control group will only receive physiotherapy treatments. The use of three groups will help determine the individual impact of dietetic treatment offered by a dietitian and the use of supplements. Patient symptoms will be measured using a questionnaire constructed from tools commonly used in practice by medical doctors, physiotherapists and dietitians. This questionnaire will be completed at the first physiotherapy session and 2, 4 and 8 weeks after the start of the intervention.

Conditions

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Brain Injury Traumatic Mild

Keywords

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Dietary intervention Supplements Omega-3 Vitamin D Creatine monohydrate

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Dietary intervention and nutritional supplements (group A)

Patients in group A will receive four consultations with a dietitian over eight weeks, in addition to conventional physiotherapy treatments. These patients will receive nutritional counselling and omega-3 (2500mg/day), vitamin D (2000 IU/day) and creatine monohydrate (10mg/day) supplements prescribed by their doctor.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental: Dietetic counseling

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients will receive dietary counselling to increase caloric and nutrient intake, stabilize glycemia, and optimize hydration.

Active Comparator: Omega-3, vitamin D3 and creatine monohydrate

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Patients will be prescribed dietary supplements which will be taken daily for 8 weeks, as per the supplement protocol.

Other : Physiotherapy treatment

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients will receive weekly physiotherapy treatment.

Nutritional supplements (group B)

Patients in group B will be prescribed omega-3 (2500mg/day), vitamin D (2000 IU/day) and creatine monohydrate (10mg/day) supplements and receive physiotherapy treatments over eight weeks.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Active Comparator: Omega-3, vitamin D3 and creatine monohydrate

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Patients will be prescribed dietary supplements which will be taken daily for 8 weeks, as per the supplement protocol.

Other : Physiotherapy treatment

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients will receive weekly physiotherapy treatment.

Physiotherapy treatment (control group)

Patients in the control group will receive physiotherapy treatments over eight weeks.

Group Type OTHER

Other : Physiotherapy treatment

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients will receive weekly physiotherapy treatment.

Interventions

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Experimental: Dietetic counseling

Patients will receive dietary counselling to increase caloric and nutrient intake, stabilize glycemia, and optimize hydration.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Active Comparator: Omega-3, vitamin D3 and creatine monohydrate

Patients will be prescribed dietary supplements which will be taken daily for 8 weeks, as per the supplement protocol.

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Other : Physiotherapy treatment

Patients will receive weekly physiotherapy treatment.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* 16 years or older
* Must be able to understand English or French
* Have persistent post-concussive symptoms lasting at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 months

Exclusion Criteria

* \<16 years old
* People who are breastfeeding, pregnant or plan to become pregnant in the next 2 months
* People with neurological disorders (other than concussion) or a history of moderate or severe brain injury
* People in an acute phase of an inflammatory bowel disease
* Any physical condition prohibiting a patient from receiving physiotherapy treatments
Minimum Eligible Age

16 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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New Brunswick Health Research Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Universite de Moncton

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Stephanie Ward Chiasson, PhD, RD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Universite de Moncton

Locations

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Universite de Moncton

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Canada

Central Contacts

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Stephanie Ward Chiasson, PhD, RD

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 506-858-4000

Email: [email protected]

Horia-Daniel Iancu, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 506-858-4000

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Stephanie Ward Chiasson, PhD, RD

Role: primary

Horia-Daniel Iancu, PhD

Role: backup

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Other Identifiers

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101616

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id