I found this online this morning. For the first time, researchers tested the ketogenic diet in a controlled trial.
"Researchers at University College London analyzed results from 103 children between 2 and 16 years old who didn't respond to drugs and had at least seven epileptic fits a week. Patients on the diet had more than one-third fewer seizures after three months, while attacks increased by more than one-third in those who didn't change their diets, the scientists said in Lancet Neurology."
The difference between this study and previous ones is that researchers used a control group of kids who didn't receive the diet this time. I'll bet that's why the study only lasted for three months; the researchers ended it as soon as they could to allow the control group to also start the diet.
Annie
High Fat Diet Proven ...New York Times!
I read the NY Times online every day -- and on the home page, this study was one of the top three health stories.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/health/research/06epil.html
I was really curious about this statement from the article...
"Although the diet has to be medically supervised, Dr. Shinnar said, it is a mistake to believe that it requires extensive hospital resources and a staff’s constant attention. Here they don’t have this," he said of the British trial. "This study makes it clear that this actually can be made to work in a community setting."
Does anybody know what this means?
And, yes, it's clear from this version that the study only lasted three months because the kids who didn't start on the diet initially started after three months, when it became clear how much it helped.
"In the first group, 38 percent of the children had seizure rates reduced by half, compared with 6 percent in the control group. Five children in the diet group had reductions exceeding 90 percent."
Ketogenic Diet Goes Mainstream
Hi Jenni,
It's great to see that mainstream medicine is starting to embrace the diet.
I put Adam on the ketogenic diet back in January 1996. His 200-300 seizures a day disappeared almost overnight. He has been seizure free now for over 10-years. I wrote all about Adam's success with diet in my ebook.
I recommend the diet to anyone who has tried the drugs and has found them in effective or is just tired of the side effects. I wish we would have been given the option of the low fat diet by the doctors first instead of the drugs. It would have saved us all a world of hurt.
By the way, I created a PDF of the New York Times article for anyone would like to print or pass along a copy to a friend.
Arlene Martell (Mom of Adam above)
Publisher, EpilepsyMoms.com
Asking doctors about the ketogenic diet
"I wish we would have been given the option of the low fat diet by the doctors first instead of the drugs. It would have saved us all a world of hurt."
So what any parent who has a child with epilepsy needs to know is that this diet WORKS and even if their doctor doesn't offer it, they should always ASK about it.
Jenni
Bring Somes Articles with You
Hi Jenni,
I agree. I would suggest printing a few articles and bring them to the doctor as well because there is a real good chance the doctor never heard of the diet.
I have taken a PDF copy of a few of the articles hitting the mainstream media giving the thumbs up to the ketogenic diet.
http://epilepsymoms.com/pdf/baltimore-sun-ketogenic-diet-article.pdf
http://epilepsymoms.com/pdf/chicago-tribune-ketogenic-diet-article.pdf
http://epilepsymoms.com/pdf/kansas-city-star-ketogenic-diet-article.pdf
http://epilepsymoms.com/pdf/yahoo-news-ketogenic-diet-article.pdf
I don't suspect that we have heard the end of this yet. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes before someone challenges this article and study.
Warmly,
Arlene Martell (Mom of Adam above)
Publisher, EpilepsyMoms.com
Thanks!
Arlene, thanks so much for taking the time to create a PDF for each of those articles. I printed them all and added them to my binder.
Melissa
Ketogenic Diet in the LA Times
A colleage just sent me an email to another article on the ketogenic diet. This time it is in the LA Times. It's so good to see the diet getting such wide spread coverage and acceptance. I grabbed a copy of it for you on a PDF if you would like to print a copy.
http://www.epilepsymoms.com/pdf/la-times-ketogenic-diet-article.pdf
Arlene Martell (Mom of Adam above)
Publisher, EpilepsyMoms.com