Diet and Fat Mass After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Preventing Neurogenic Obesity Following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

This is a randomized clinical controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the impact of a personalized nutritional intervention on functional and clinical outcomes the first year after traumatic spinal cord injury. The long term goal is to prevent gain of body fat mass and obesity.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Obesity; Spinal Cord Injuries; Metabolic Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Personalized nutritional therapy

Detailed Description

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating injury resulting from critical incidents like falls, sports- and traffic accidents, demanding lifelong specialist health care services. A major challenge is the prevalence of obesity following metabolic alterations after SCI. Obesity hampers independence and mobility and has a negative impact on quality of life. Accumulation of adipose tissue is reported to be higher than in able-bodied, explaining the high risk of cardiometabolic disease in the SCI population. Food intake is the supreme variable in prevention of obesity after SCI, however there is a paucity in studies investigating nutrition as a measure to prevent and reduce comorbidity. Key questions that remains unanswered are how early adipose tissue accumulates, if nutritional manipulations can prevent obesity and how follow-up can help maintain a healthy lifestyle. In the present PhD-study, we use MRI techniques to quantify changes in body composition in a cohort study the first year after SCI, and we employ a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a nutrition intervention during rehabilitation aiming to prevent obesity. Successful results will be implemented in care-programs at our hospital for those with SCI and similar mobility impairments, with the aim of improving nutrition practice throughout the course of treatment

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 56
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Bjørnemyr
    • Nesoddtangen, Bjørnemyr, Norway, 1453
      • Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Traumatic spinal cord injury
• Levels C1-L2
• American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairments Scale (AIS) A-D

Exclusion Criteria:

• Glasgow Coma Scale score (GCS) equal to or lower than 13
• Below 18 years of age
• Medical issues like impaired cognitive function, progressive disorders and co-morbidities.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Personalized nutrition therapy; Dietitian led assessment and individual nutritional therapy during inpatient rehabilitation with follow-up the first year after injury	Behavioral: Personalized nutritional therapy; Dietitian led assessment and individual nutritional therapy during inpatient rehabilitation with follow-up the first year after injury
No Intervention: Standard treatment; Standard treatment includes dietitian-led group session on nutrition after SCI and patient visits / consultations on request from doctor.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in fat mass (kg)	Bioimpedance analysis (BIA; seca mBCA 525) will be used to assess whole-body composition. Total fat mass (kg) derived from BIA will be used as the primary adiposity outcome. In individuals with spinal cord injury, fluid shifts and changes in fat-free mass can influence BIA estimates; therefore, fat mass will be interpreted together with secondary indices (fat mass index and waist circumference) and body water compartments.	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body weight	Measuring body weight in kilograms (kg)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Independency in activities of daily living (ADLs)	Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) III will be used to assess various activities of daily living (ADLs). SCIM III comprises 19 items divided into 3 subscales (self-care, respiration and sphincter management, and mobility). The total SCIM score range from 0 to 100, with the subscales weighted as follows: self-care: scored 0-20; respiration and sphincter management: scored 0-40; and mobility: scored 0-40. Scores are higher in patients that require less assistance or fewer aids to complete basic ADLs.	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in adipose tissue	Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning will be used to determine body composition by quantification of adipose tissues (visceral adipose tissue volume and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue volume) and muscle volumes.	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Changes in Quality of life (QoL)	International Spinal Cord Society QoL Basic Dataset. The QoL data set consists of 3 variables: ratings of satisfaction with general quality of life, satisfaction with physical health, and satisfaction with psychological health. All variables are rated on a Numeric Self-Rating Scale ranging from 0 (completely dissatisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied).	Changes from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in albumin	Fasted blood analysis of albumin g/dl	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in fasting glucose	Fasted blood analysis of fasting glucose (mmol/L)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Creatinine	Fasted blood analysis of creatinine umol/L	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Lipoprotein A1	Fasted blood analysis of Lipoprotein A1 (g/L)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Lipoprotein B	Fasted blood analysis of Lipoprotein B (g/L)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in folic acid	Fasted blood analysis of folic acid (nmol/L)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in vitamin B12	Fasted blood analysis of vitamin B12 pmol/L	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Ferritin	Fasted blood analysis of ferritin ug/L	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in C-reactive protein (CRP)	Fasted blood analysis of C-reactive protein mg/l	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Cholesterol	Fasted blood analysis of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) mmol/L	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Triglycerides	Fasted blood analysis of triglycerides mmol/L	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in C-peptid	Blood analysis of insulin c-peptid pmol/L in a fasted state and 2 hours post oral glucose tolerance test	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in vitamin 25-hydroxy-vitamin D₃	Fasted blood analysis of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D₃ (nmol/L)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)	Fasted blood analysis of HbA1c mmol/mol	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Cytokines: Interleukin-6 and -1, Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)	Fasted blood analysis of Interleukin-6 and -1 Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (pg/ml)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in isoprostanes (biomarkers of oxidative stress)	Urine analyses of isoprostanes (ng/mg) (biomarkers of oxidative stress)	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in cardiorespiratory fitness levels ml/kg/min	Cardiorespiratory fitness levels will be determined by measuring peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak; ml/kg/min) during maximal exercise testing on a treadmill or ergometry cycle.	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in cardiorespiratory fitness levels liter/min	Cardiorespiratory fitness levels will be determined by measuring peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak; liter/min) during maximal exercise testing on a treadmill or ergometry cycle.	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in fasting blood glucose level (mmol/Liter)	Standardized oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) will be used to measure the blood glucose level (mmol/Liter) 2 hours after intake of 75 grams glucose in a fasted state.	Change from Baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Fat Mass Index (FMI, kg/m2)	Fat mass index (FMI) will be calculated as total fat mass (kg) divided by height squared (m²), based on BIA-derived fat mass. FMI will be analysed as a key secondary adiposity index, as it standardizes fat mass for body size and may provide a more stable estimate of adiposity than absolute fat mass in spinal cord injury.	Change from baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in BIA-estimated visceral adipose tissue	Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) will be estimated using the manufacturer's proprietary prediction equations implemented in the seca mBCA 525. These values represent model-based estimates calibrated against MRI in able-bodied populations and are interpreted as surrogate indicators of central adiposity rather than direct imaging measures. VAT will be analysed as a secondary adiposity outcome.	Change from baseline to 12 months follow-up
Waist circumference (WC, cm)	Waist circumference will be measured at the midpoint between the lower rib margin and the iliac crest (approximately 2 cm above the umbilicus) using a standardized protocol. Waist circumference is included as an anthropometric marker of central adiposity.	Change from baseline to 12 months follow-up
Change in Fat-free mass	Fat-free mass (FFM) derived from BIA will be used to describe changes in lean tissue. In this population, FFM is strongly influenced by extracellular water shifts and will therefore be used as supportive information for interpreting changes in fat mass.	Change from baseline to 12 months follow-up
Body mass index (BMI, kg/m²)	Body mass index (kg/m²) will be calculated from weight and height according to standard procedures. BMI is included as an anthropometric indicator of overall adiposity.	Change from baseline to 12 months follow-up.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital
• Collaborators: University of Oslo; University of Copenhagen
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Vegard Strøm, PhD, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 15, 2019
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 3, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 27, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): September 30, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 26, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 18, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Overweight; Trauma, Nervous System; Spinal Cord Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Obesity; Spinal Cord Injuries; Metabolic Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: REK 2017/2443

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No