High-fat, low-carb diet helps kids with epilepsy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
The results of a study provide
strong evidence that a diet high in fat and low in
carbohydrates -- a so-called "ketogenic diet" -- can help
control seizures in children with stubborn epilepsy that does
not respond well to drug therapy.

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by
recurrent seizures when the normal working of the brain is
interrupted. A ketogenic diet has been widely used since the
1920s to help control hard-to-treat seizures in children.

In their study, Dr. Elizabeth G. Neal, from University
College London, and colleagues randomly assigned a group of
children who were having at least seven epileptic fits per week
despite anti-epileptic drug therapy, to a standard diet or a
ketogenic one, which is typically high in fats and very low in
carbohydrates.

After three months, children on the ketogenic diet had more
than one third fewer seizures, while seizure frequency
increased in children on the standard diet, the researchers
report in the Lancet Neurology medical journal.

A greater than 50 percent drop off in seizure frequency was
noted in 38 percent of children on the ketogenic diet compared
with just 6 percent of children on the standard diet.

This study confirms that a ketogenic diet is safe and
effective in children with drug-resistant epilepsy, the
investigators conclude.

The most common side effects with the ketogenic diet were
constipation, vomiting, lack of energy, and hunger, Neal and
colleagues note.

In a written commentary, Dr. Max Wiznitzer, from the
Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, notes that
some questions still remain regarding ketogenic diets for
childhood epilepsy. Among these are the long-term effects, the
identification of epilepsies that benefit from early initiation
of such a diet, and the mechanism by which the diet produces
its anti-seizure effect.

SOURCE: Lancet Neurology, online May 3, 2008.