Epilepsy & Nutrition
Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain that triggers repeated seizures of varying intensity. MedlinePlus describes seizures as "episodes of disturbed brain function" caused by "abnormally excited electrical signals in the brain." Although all epilepsy organizations and medical professionals agree that it's important for those with the disorder to eat a healthy diet, there are some who suggest that nutrition can play an even bigger role in epilepsy control. One dietary approach to epilepsy control is the ketogenic diet.
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Ketogenic Diet History
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The ketogenic diet, developed in the 1920s as a form of treatment for epilepsy, was widely used for more than 20 years until anticonvulsive drugs hit the market in the 1940s. It is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet "designed to mimic many of the biochemical changes associated with prolonged starvation," according to the Epilepsy Support Centre, based in Canada. It made a comeback in the 1990s, and is again enjoying popularity as a complementary method to deal with seizures that are not controlled readily by medication.
How It Works
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The Epilepsy Foundation, the largest U.S. support organization for epilepsy patients and their families, explains that the body, deprived of the glucose it normally uses for fuel, begins to burn fat for energy. Since fat accounts for roughly 80 percent of the calories allowed on the ketogenic diet, the overall effect is the simulation of a starvation reaction in the body. Medical researchers are trying to figure out the reasons for the diet's anticonvulsive effects, but so far don't know why the diet works.
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Medical Supervision
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The diet, used mainly in children with epilepsy, should be undertaken only under the close supervision of medical professionals, the foundation cautions. It also points out that the diet almost always is used in combination with anticonvulsive drugs, because it is targeted at epilepsy patients whose response to the drugs alone has been disappointing. Used together, however, the diet and drugs have virtually eliminated seizures in about a third of those who try them, and reduced the intensity and frequency of seizures in another third, according to the foundation. The remaining third either show no improvement or abandon the diet because the patients find it too hard to follow.
Side Effects
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Possible side effects of the diet include constipation, dehydration and, rarely, the development of gallstones or kidney stones. Adult women may experience menstrual problems, and vitamin supplementation is essential to supply some of the nutrients that are absent in the diet.
To Diet or Not
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According to the foundation, "most experts say the diet is worth trying when two or more medications have failed to control seizures, or when medications cause side effects that are having a harmful effect. . . ." The organization suggests that patients and their families seek the counsel of their doctors before making any final decision about whether to try the diet.
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