Abstract

 Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by unprovoked seizures of varying frequencies and intensity. Several pharmacological treatments had been used previously for its treatment. However ketogenic diet has gained importance as non-pharmacological therapy to epilepsy in recent years. This review aims to discuss the efficacy of ketogenic diet in epilepsy. Key words used for search include “ketogenic diet”, “epilepsy”, “childhood epilepsy” and “ketogenic diet side effects”. Studies conclude that ketogenic diet is an effective remedy in seizure reduction. It comprises of very high fat, low protein and very low carbohydrates. Seizure reduction is due to decrease in the amount of reactive oxygen species which is a result of high ketone bodies and low glucose levels achieved by the use ketogenic diet, hence improving the condition of epileptic patients. It has proven efficacy in patients with epilepsy resistance to pharmacological treatment. In children it has positive or no impact on cognition, mood and behavior of children along with its antiepileptic properties. However further researches must be carried out to highlight the impact of ketogenic diet on cognition and mood of children. As ketogenic diet is high in fats, its long-term use may alter the lipid profile of patients. Moreover, gastrointestinal disturbances, insulin resistance has also been observed. Studies also show that there still need of clinical trials and researches in adult epileptic patients.

Keywords: Ketogenic Diet; Epilepsy; Childhood Epilepsy; Ketogenic Diet Side Effects

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Citation

Citation: Aamina Sabir. “Efficacy of Ketogenic Diet in Seizure Reduction in Epileptic Patients-A Review". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 4.7 (2020): 11-15.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Aamina Sabir. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.