Against refractory forms of epilepsy, a radical change in diet may be useful. The ketogenic diet is particularly effective in children.
Fight against epileptic seizures by modifying the diet. The method may seem surprising, but it has been used since 1921 in neurology. This technique is the ketogenic diet. It consists of increasing the intake of fats while greatly reducing that of carbohydrates and proteins. It is particularly valuable for children whose epilepsy is resistant to drug treatment. On the occasion of International Epilepsy Day, Why actor examines this approach with the insight of Dr Christian Korff, Head of neuro-pediatrics at the University Hospitals of Geneva (Switzerland) and privat-docent at the Faculty of Medicine of the Uni Geneva.
Well-controlled seizures
20 to 30% of epilepsies are refractory to treatment. To treat them, neurologists sometimes resort to a treatment acclaimed by bodybuilders or followers of celebrity diets: the ketogenic diet, which recreates the conditions of fasting by modifying the balance of intakes. Fat is consumed four times more than carbohydrates and proteins.
When the body is deprived of food, it can enter fatty tissue. The same phenomenon occurs under this diet. The liver then converts this energy into ketone bodies, metabolites produced by the destruction of fat. “They have antiepileptic properties thanks to different mechanisms well demonstrated in animals. This results in good control of epilepsy in a number of cases refractory to treatment, ”explains Christian Korff.
Less effective in adults
The ketogenic diet is primarily intended for children with resistant epilepsy. According to studies, 75 to 90% of patients saw their seizures halve. But the initiation of such an approach is not a snap. “We always start with conventional drugs,” recalls Christian Korff. But more and more often, we start talking about it with parents after one or two drug failures. “All the more so as this mode of feeding can be followed in the long term without major impact on the health of the children, in particular on their growth.
The objective today is to modulate the regimes according to the reaction of the patients, by trying to make them less strict if possible. In some cases variations can be used, such as the modified Atkins diet. Properly conducted, the ketogenic diet has no side effects, unlike drugs. On the other hand, it has many contraindications, such as metabolic diseases causing poor assimilation of fat.
If neurologists focus this approach on children, it is mainly because the life of adults makes its implementation very complicated. “This requires calculations that cannot necessarily be carried out outdoors, during a dinner with friends or in a restaurant,” emphasizes Christian Korff. But this approach is not contraindicated and some structures practice it. The benefits are however less marked: 32% of adults respond to this type of treatment.
Fight against epileptic seizures by modifying the diet:
Posted by Why actor on Monday, February 8, 2016
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