Ketogenic diet isn’t just for losing weight

My cousin’s child was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was five years old. This was one of the reasons, I got so interested in this field and eventually became an EEG technologist.

One of the therapies they did in the beginning to help reduce his seizure was to change his diet to the ketogenic diet.

The ketogenic diet is focus on high fats, adequate protein and low carbohydrates.

The diet therapy did help him and his seizure did decrease dramatically. He is now in high school and he is seizure free. The diet helps change how energy is received in the brain.

Most neurologist are more likely to try this diet on children than adults.

The dietary therapy is considered when two medications have been tried not worked and when seizures are not controlled by antiepileptic drugs.

In an article written by the Frontiers of Neuroscience, there has been positive outcomes in refractory seizures.

• More than half of children see a fifty percent reduction in seizure or even become seizure free.

Even though this diet is proven to work, patients do not stay on it for long due to the restrictive elements of the diet. Before starting this therapy patients have to undergo urine and blood tests. This is to ensure that the kidneys are functioning, there are no nutritional deficiencies and check overall health markers. Another stipulation for starting this diet is that the patients need to stay in the hospital at the beginning of the diet. Patients stay at the hospital for at least 3 to 4 days to see how the body will react to the diet. Once on the diet it usually takes 3 months to adjust to it. The patients are closely monitored during this time.

The possible the side effects of the ketogenic diet are nausea, constipation, fatigue, and hydration.

The ketogenic diet is not the only diet that neurologist can try there are a few others. Doctors may use modified Atkins diet which allows patients to have slightly more carbohydrates than ketogenic. Another diet is the Medium-chain triglyceride is a type of fat that convert into ketones. These diets are also monitored by the team due the restrictions of these diets.

People with epilepsy should also avoid foods that may trigger seizures such as processed foods and foods high in sugar and salt. Seizures can be trigger by foods with monosodium glutamate and artificial preservatives.

In conclusion, if these diets and food restrictions will help patients have less seizure than hopefully patients will give them a try.