Special Diet Reduces Severe Seizures in Children

A study has shown that a rigorously high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can reduce the number of seizures in children with severe seizure disorders and keep them lower for years after the diet is stopped. Conducted by neurologists at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (Baltimore, MD, USA), the study was published in the October 2001 issue of Pediatrics.

The study involved 150 seizure-prone children between the ages of one and 16 who did not respond to at least two different anticonvulsive drugs. They had an average minimum of two seizures per week. Of the total, 83 remained on the ketogenic diet for at least one year. Three years after the last child was enrolled in the study, the researchers gathered data on the current frequency of seizures. One-third of the original children were either seizure-free or had greater than a 90% reduction in seizures, with 44% being entirely free of medication. The researchers are not certain why the diet works. Many experts believe that the suppression of seizures is related to the build-up and breakdown of ketones, natural metabolites that accumulate in cells programmed to conserve energy.

The ketogenic diet is an excellent alternative for children whose seizures cannot be easily controlled, say the researchers. "What we're seeing is a long-lasting effect for many children who used the diet,” noted John Freeman, M.D., one of the Johns Hopkins researchers.




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