{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T05:54:14Z","timestamp":1780466054673,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773360000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Sport-related concussion (SRC) elicits multi-systemic symptoms, including nausea, fatigue, and cognitive changes. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are not well captured in current concussion assessments and may be under-recognised in clinical follow-up. GI disturbances may influence intake tolerance and day-to-day fuelling during post-SRC recovery. This study investigated the prevalence and severity of self-reported GI symptoms in Irish athletes after their most recent SRC, examined sex-based patterns, and evaluated the rationale for integrating GI symptom checks into standard concussion tools (e.g., SCAT6) and post-injury monitoring. Methods: An online survey was completed by recreational, competitive, and elite athletes who retrospectively self-reported concussion history, GI symptoms, and bowel function post-SRC and at the time of survey completion (ToSC; 0.03\u2013216 months post-injury). The survey used the Bristol Stool Chart, Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire, and validated GI symptom measures. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests examined timepoint- and sex-based differences. Results: A total of 106 athletes participated (55.7% female; mean age 26.4 \u00b1 7.7 years), of whom 90.6% reported \u22651 GI symptom post-SRC, with greater severity observed for appetite loss, bloating, and abdominal discomfort. Bowel habits shifted bidirectionally for 42.5%, and 26.4% were experiencing ongoing symptoms at ToSC. Conclusions: Self-reported GI symptoms were common and appear under-recognised post-SRC. These findings support greater attention to GI symptom assessment and suggest that brief GI checks and facilitated access to nutrition advice where symptoms persist may be feasible within multidisciplinary, athlete-centred care. Prospective studies are needed to determine clinical relevance and to evaluate nutrition-related strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18060914","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T11:12:25Z","timestamp":1773400345000},"page":"914","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Sport-Related Concussion in Irish Athletes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0426-0346","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emma","family":"Finnegan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, School of Health, Sport Science and Nutrition, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Dublin Rd., H91 T8NW Galway, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6548-9634","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ed","family":"Daly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, School of Health, Sport Science and Nutrition, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Dublin Rd., H91 T8NW Galway, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4599-8543","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katherine J.","family":"Hunzinger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Exercise Science, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19144, USA"},{"name":"Jefferson Center for Injury Research & Prevention, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19144, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5505-7130","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lisa","family":"Ryan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, School of Health, Sport Science and Nutrition, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Dublin Rd., H91 T8NW Galway, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"695","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2023-106898","article-title":"Consensus statement on concussion in sport: The 6th international conference on concussion in sport\u2013Amsterdam","volume":"57","author":"Patricios","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br. 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