Washington ( CNN ) -- New research suggests a high-calorie , high-protein diet may improve the outcome for some service members with brain injuries due to battlefield explosions . The Pentagon spends billions of dollars trying to detect and avoid improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan , but traumatic brain injuries ( TBI ) have become an expensive and troubling legacy of the wars -- responsible for a variety of injuries and long-term problems for military service members . An Institute of Medicine report released Wednesday says improvements in nutrition may offer benefits just after a blast injury and calls for immediate changes . `` The committee strongly supports the provision of energy and protein to patients with severe TBI early after injury , '' the report says . `` This important recommendation should be implemented immediately and will achieve significant positive outcomes by reducing the inflammatory response , which is likely to be at its height during the first two weeks after the injury . '' The report calls for more research on the beneficial effects of other nutrients and suggests that a different diet before an injury also may have benefits . And researchers point out that changes in treatment and improvements in recovery would have an impact not just in war zones , but on athletic fields , highways and everywhere brain injuries occur . `` TBI is also a major health concern for the civilian population and the actual burden of TBI in the United States is underestimated , '' said John Erdman , chairman of the Institute 's Committee on Nutrition , Trauma , and the Brain , in an introduction to the report . `` It is my hope that this report assists not only the Department of Defense in its goal to improve outcomes from TBI but also the public health community as a whole . '' The report said TBI `` contributes to nearly one-third of all injury-related deaths in the United States , making it a major health concern for the civilian population as well . '' `` According to recent estimates , between 1.6 million and 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur annually , including those not treated by a health care provider , '' the report said . The Institute of Medicine is an independent , nonprofit organization that provides `` unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public , '' according to its website . It was created in 1970 and is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences .
Head injuries are a significant cause of death and disability among service members . They also account for nearly 10 % of all war - related deaths in the United States , the report states . Studies suggest a diet high in protein and minerals can improve victims ' recovery .