Reduced Epileptic Seizures Noted with Low-Carb, High-Fat Diets.
A review of the current research shows that diets high in fats and low in carbohydrates could be an alternative treatment for reducing epileptic seizures. Currently, about 35% of epileptics fail to respond to medications, so alternative treatments are very important. The investigators found that across all studies, 32% of ketogenic diet-treated patients and 29% of modified Atkins diet-treated patients achieved 50% or greater seizure reduction. They also found 9% of the ketogenic diet and 5% of the modified Atkins diet-treated patients achieved greater than 90% reduction in seizures. Unfortunately, most people eventually stop these types of diets in the long-term because of the cooking and social restrictions.
Neurology, October 2014