Journal of neurotrauma
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern. On average, 1.7 million persons sustain a TBI annually, and about 5.3 million Americans are living with a TBI-related disability. As the leading cause of death and disability in persons under 45 years old, there is a need for developing evidence-based interventions to reduce morbidity from this injury. ⋯ The cascade of molecular and cellular changes after TBI involves plasticity in many different neurochemical systems, which represent putative targets for neurotherapeutic interventions. Accordingly, a successful TBI treatment may have to simultaneously attenuate many injury factors. The purpose of this review is to highlight four promising nutritional intervention options that have been identified-omega-3, zinc, vitamin D, and glutamine-and to provide an up-to-date summary regarding their apparent efficacy for affecting TBI.