Branched chain amino acids may expedite concussion recovery
By Aamy Wodesenbet. This article was initially published in the 4/11/24 edition of our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.
A six-year study in the Journal of Neurotrauma explored the impact of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) on concussion recovery in adolescents and young adults. Ultimately, the findings showed a significant reduction in concussion symptoms and an improvement in physical activity levels that was positively correlated with BCAA dosage in a dose-response effect. A Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia press release noted that concussion symptoms, physical activity, and sleep improved as the doses of BCAA supplementation increased. The supplementation was a specific formulation of leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which “serve key roles in brain health, neurotransmitter synthesis, and energy supply.”
The developments provided by this study are a welcome addition to a landscape where effective, non-invasive treatments for concussions are eagerly sought. In accordance with this, the researchers examined whether supplementing with BCAA at increasing dosages could help relieve concussion symptoms and help facilitate a return to pre-injury levels of activity. They enrolled 42 participants between the ages of 11-34 within three days of suffering a concussion, tracking outcome measures including computerized neurocognitive tests (that monitored processing speed, attention, visual learning, and working memory), symptom score, physical and cognitive activity, sleep/wake alterations, and treatment compliance. Adverse events were also closely monitored to ensure the tolerability and safety of these BCAAs.
The researchers found “a significant dose-response effect in reduction of concussion symptoms and a return to baseline physical activity in those who consumed higher total doses of BCAAs across the study.” As encouraging as the results may be, the researchers noted that slow enrollment and varying response rates created limitations in their statistical analysis of the results. Regardless, the results show a decisive and encouraging first step towards supporting BCAA therapy, which has the potential to be an effective option for both symptom management and recovery acceleration.
