High-fat, low-carb diet shown to curb epileptic seizures
The High-fat, low-carb diet has been shown to curb epileptic seizures because the diet mimics the effects of starvation and induces chemicals in the brain that appear to reduce seizures.
The first clinical trial of a ketogenic diet -- high in fats and low in carbohydrates and protein -- for epilepsy has shown that it sharply curtails seizures and is an effective tool for managing children who are resistant to anti-epilepsy drugs.
The diet mimics the effects of starvation and induces the body to produce chemicals called ketone bodies rather than glucose as an energy source for the brain. Researchers are not sure why ketone bodies appear to reduce seizures.
In the new study, 145 children, ages 2 to 16, who were having at least seven seizures per week and who were not responding to anti-epileptic drugs were randomly assigned to receive the ketogenic diet or a normal diet for three months, after which those on the normal diet were switched to the treatment diet.
After several children dropped out for various reasons, there were 54 children in the diet group and 49 in the control group.
The team reported Friday in the online edition of the journal Lancet Neurology that the number of seizures dropped by more than a third in the group receiving the ketogenic diet, while the seizures rose by more than a third in the control group.
Twenty-eight of the 54 children in the diet group had more than a 50% reduction in seizures, compared with four of the 49 children in the control group.
The first clinical trial of a ketogenic diet -- high in fats and low in carbohydrates and protein -- for epilepsy has shown that it sharply curtails seizures and is an effective tool for managing children who are resistant to anti-epilepsy drugs.
The diet mimics the effects of starvation and induces the body to produce chemicals called ketone bodies rather than glucose as an energy source for the brain. Researchers are not sure why ketone bodies appear to reduce seizures.
In the new study, 145 children, ages 2 to 16, who were having at least seven seizures per week and who were not responding to anti-epileptic drugs were randomly assigned to receive the ketogenic diet or a normal diet for three months, after which those on the normal diet were switched to the treatment diet.
After several children dropped out for various reasons, there were 54 children in the diet group and 49 in the control group.
The team reported Friday in the online edition of the journal Lancet Neurology that the number of seizures dropped by more than a third in the group receiving the ketogenic diet, while the seizures rose by more than a third in the control group.
Twenty-eight of the 54 children in the diet group had more than a 50% reduction in seizures, compared with four of the 49 children in the control group.
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