Supplementation Note:

     While this book outlines a way of eating to support brain health, and is very much a meal plan guide rather than a supplementation protocol, supplementation can be extremely useful as well. Think about the word “supplements.“ The capsules, liquids, and powders that are often referred to as supplements are just that: supplemental nutrients to make up for the lack of nutrients that we obtain in the food we eat. Unless we are able to keep to every aspect of this meal plan, we are likely going to be missing out on important nutrients that are tricky for us to obtain everyday. Unless of course we supplement.

Some nutrients are realistic for us to obtain from food in adequate amounts, and others are trickier. For this reason, I am including supplement options throughout this book, but to make things easier and more organized for you, I have gathered all of the suggested supplements in this book into one spot here:

• Nordic Natural UltimateOmega (Counts towards fat intake) – start with 1 tsp (5 ml) 2-3x/day. (up to 3 tsp 2x/day

• • Omega-3 Fatty Acids as a Putative Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury, Linda Hasadsri, Bonnie H. Wang, James V. Lee, John W. Erdman, Daniel A. Llano, Aron K. Barbey, Tracey Wszalek, Matthew F. Sharrock, and Huan (John) Wang. Journal of Neurotrauma. June 2013, 30(11): 897-906. doi:10.1089/neu.2012.2672.
    • “A growing body of preclinical data has shown that nutritional intervention, such as dietary supplementation with n-3 (also known as omega-3) fatty acids, may be of therapeutic benefit in acute injury to the brain.10–13 Omega-3 fatty acids have long been known to play a restorative role in several pathways implicated in traumatic insult to the brain.12,14–17 Emerging clinical evidence from both animal models and human studies of other brain injuries continue to suggest that they may provide benefits; however, there has been no human trial evaluating the effects of n-3 fatty acids on resilience to or treatment of TBI,17–19 though there have been case studies on the use of omega-3s in the acute phase of severe head injury.188,189 This article reviews the physiological functions of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the central nervous system (CNS), and their uniquely protective role against subcellular mechanisms of degeneration induced by traumatic injury to the brain. We also discuss select studies on the therapeutic effects of n-3 PUFAs in vivo, and how omega-3 supplementation could potentially improve behavioral and cognitive outcomes in patients with TBI.”
      • 10. Docosahexaenoic acid dietary supplementation enhances the effects of exercise on synaptic plasticity and cognition. Neuroscience
      • 11. Lang-Lazdunski L, Blondeau N, Jarretou G, Lazdunski M, and Heurteaux C. (2003). Linolenic acid prevents neuronal cell death and paraplegia after transient spinal cord ischemia in rats. J Vasc Surg 38, 564–575.
      • 12. Wu A, Ying Z, and Gomez-Pinilla F. (2004). Dietary omega-3 fatty acids normalize BDNF levels, reduce oxidative damage, and counteract learning disability after traumatic brain injury in rats. J Neurotrauma 21, 1457–1467.
      • 13. Wu A, Ying Z, and Gomez-Pinilla F. (2011). The salutary effects of DHA dietary supplementation on cognition, neuroplasticity, and membrane homeostasis after brain trauma. J Neurotrauma 28, 2113– 2122.
      • 14. Mills JD, Bailes JE, Sedney CL, Hutchins H, and Sears B. (2011). Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and reduction of traumatic axonal injury in a rodent head injury model. J Neurosurg 114, 77–84.
      • 15. Mills JD, Hadley K, and Bailes JE. (2011). Dietary supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid in traumatic brain injury. Neurosurgery 68, 474–481; discussion 481.
      • 16. Prins M. (2008). Diet, ketones, and neurotrauma. Epilepsia 49, 111–113.
      • 17. Shin SS, and Dixon CE. (2011). Oral fish oil restores striatal dopamine release after traumatic brain injury. Neurosci Lett 496, 168–171.
      • 18. Petraglia AL, Winkler EA, and Bailes JE. (2011). Stuck at the bench: Potential natural neuroprotective compounds for concussion. Surg Neurol Int 2, 146.
      • 19. National Research Council (2011). Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury: Improving Acute and Subacute Outcomes in Military Personnel. Erdman J, Oria M, Pillsbury L (eds.) Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2011.
      • 188. Lewis M, Ghassemi P, and Hibbeln J. (2013). Therapeutic use of omega-3 fatty acids in severe head trauma. Am J Emerg Med 31, 273.
      • 189. Roberts L, Bailes J, Dedhia H, et al. (2008). Surviving a mine ex- plosion. J Am Coll Surg 207, 276–283.
  • Therapeutic use of omega-3 fatty acids in severe head trauma, Lewis, Michael Ghassemi, Parviz Hibbeln, Joseph et al. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 31, Issue 1 , 273.e5 – 273.e8
    • This is a case study about a teenager who suffered a severe TBI in 2010. Like me, he was diagnosed with a diffuse axonal injury with an initial Glasgow Coma Score of 3, which is the lowest possible score (no response to any stimuli, but still alive). Thought to be in a permanent vegetative state, he was given a gastric tube (PEG), and a procedure was performed which left him breathing through a tube protruding from his neck (tracheotomy).
    • Ten days after the injury, he was given a large dose (15 ml, which is about 13 g, twice a day) of Nordic Natural Ultimate Omega via his PEG (feeding tube). On the 21st day, he was weaned off the ventilator, and soon progressed from a vegetative state to attending his high school graduation three months later!
• Liposomal Glutathione – start with 4 ml 2x/day
  • Dringen, Ralf. “Metabolism and functions of glutathione in brain.” Progress in Neurobiology 62.6 (2000): 649-71.
    • “The cells of the human brain consume about 20% of the oxygen utilized by the body but constitute only 2% of the body weight. Consequently, reactive oxygen species which are continuously generated during oxidative metabolism will be generated in high rates within the brain. Therefore, the detoxication of reactive oxygen species is an essential task within the brain and the involvement of the antioxidant glutathione in such processes is very important…. The glutathione system is very important for the cellular defense against ROS [reactive oxygen species]. A high intracellular concentration of glutathione protects against a variety of different ROS.”

These supplements can really ramp up your nutrient stores and help you to provide all of the building blocks for the brain: