High-fat ketogenic diet ‘can help treat persistent childhood seizures’
May 18th, 2010 - 11:48 am ICT by ANIWashington, May 18 (ANI): A high-fat ketogenic diet, made up of high-fat foods and few carbohydrates, can help reduce or completely eliminate debilitating seizures in most children with infantile spasms, whose seizures persist despite medication, say researchers.
The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study has been published online April 30 in the journal Epilepsia.
Infantile spasms, also called West syndrome, is a stubborn form of epilepsy that often does not get better with antiseizure drugs. Because poorly controlled infantile spasms may cause brain damage, the Hopkins team’s findings suggest the diet should be started at the earliest sign that medications aren’t working.
“Stopping or reducing the number of seizures can go a long way toward preserving neurological function, and the ketogenic diet should be our immediate next line of defense in children with persistent infantile spasms who don’t improve with medication,” says senior investigator Eric Kossoff, M.D., a pediatric neurologist and director of the ketogenic diet program at Hopkins Children’s.
The ketogenic diet works by triggering biochemical changes that eliminate seizure-causing short circuits in the brain’s signaling system. It has been used successfully in several forms of epilepsy. (ANI)
- High-fat ketogenic diet to control seizures 'safe, effective' - Feb 17, 2010
- High-fat diets successfully treat absence epilepsy - Aug 29, 2010
- Daily potassium citrate may prevent seizure patients on high-fat diet from kidney stones - Jul 22, 2009
- Potassium citrate wards off kidney stones in seizure patients - Jul 22, 2009
- Low carb, high-fat diet may reverse kidney failure in diabetes - Apr 21, 2011
- High fat, low carbohydrate diet before drugs effective for epileptic kids - Sep 09, 2008
- High cholesterol levels drop naturally in epileptic kids on high-fat anti-seizure diet - Aug 27, 2008
- High-fat diet can not be given to kids without medical management - Apr 08, 2009
- Diet-rich in whipping cream, butter, oil can control seizures in epileptic kids - Apr 03, 2009
- Taking antioxidants during pregnancy 'prevents obesity in kids' - Mar 15, 2011
- High-fat diet may injure brain cells regulating weight - Jun 09, 2011
- Exercise can undo effects of maternal obesity - Feb 10, 2012
- Cannabis could help treat epilepsy - Apr 10, 2011
- Smokers face heightened risk of seizures - Nov 20, 2009
- Idiopathic epilepsy patients have higher rate of remission - Jun 14, 2010
Tags: biochemical changes, brain damage, carbohydrates, childhood seizures, diet works, drugs, epilepsy, hopkins team, infantile spasms, johns hopkins, ketogenic diet program, kossoff, medication, neurological function, pediatric neurologist, s center, seizure, short circuits, signaling system