A new study has highlighted the efficacy of the ketogenic diet as a treatment option in refractory childhood epilepsy.
The Dutch study, published in the medical journal Epilepsy & Behavior, assessed the long-term efficacy of the ketogenic diet as an add-on therapy in children with refractory epilepsy over 24 months, with a focus on seizure frequency, seizure severity, and tolerability.
Ketogenic diets are high in fat and low in carbohydrates, with adequate levels of protein. They have been shown in numerous studies to be an effective way of improving seizure control in epilepsy patients.
Most of the patients involved in this trial were treated with the medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet, a form of ketogenic diet that includes a supplement called MCT oil, which offers high fatty acid content.
After one year, 33 per cent of the 48 patients were still on the ketogenic diet, with 23 per cent maintaining it up to the two-year juncture.
After three months, one year and two years of treatment, 16.7 per cent of the patients were responders. The highest responder rate – 22.9 per cent – was seen at six and nine months of treatment.
From three months of treatment onwards, most of the patients had a relevant decrease in seizure severity, mainly benefiting from a reduction of the most serious seizures.
The report highlighted a number of potential side effects of the diet, with gastrointestinal dysfunction often reported, especially in the first six weeks of treatment. Meanwhile, growth deceleration was present in 30 per cent of the patients, and weight reduction in 15 per cent.
The researchers concluded: “The ketogenic diet is an effective therapy for children with therapy-resistant epilepsy; effectiveness is reflected in the reduction of seizure frequency, as well as in the reduction of seizure severity.
“After six months of treatment, it is obvious which patients are responders and tolerate the treatment well. Most of these patients will continue to benefit from the ketogenic diet for a longer time.”
Posted by Bob Jones at https://www.epilepsyresearch.org.uk/long-term-benefits-of-ketogenic-diet-demonstrated-by-new-study/
Scientific abstract: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525505015004072