May 7, 2024

A Special Diet – Combined With Medicine – May Significantly Reduce Seizures

The study involved 160 teenagers and grownups who had epilepsy for more than 10 years on average and had at least 27 seizures each month despite attempting approximately four antiseizure medications at the optimum endured dose. They were randomly assigned to receive either standard drug therapy alone or drugs plus the customized Atkins diet plan over 6 months.
Individuals logged their seizures and meals. They were given food lists, sample menus, and recipes. Carbohydrate consumption was limited to 20 grams daily. Federal dietary standards suggest in between 225 and 325 grams of carbs daily.
After six months, scientists discovered that 26% of individuals who had both drug therapy and followed the modified Atkins diet had more than a 50% reduction in seizures compared to just 3% of individuals who had drug therapy alone. Four people in the diet plan group were complimentary of seizures by the end of the research study, while no one in the medication-only group was seizure-free.
The research study likewise looked at quality of life, behavior, and negative effects at 6 months. The group that had drug treatment and followed the customized Atkins diet showed an enhancement in all areas compared to the group that had drug therapy alone.
Tripathi noted that 33% of the individuals did not finish the study due to bad tolerance of the diet, absence of benefits or the failure to follow-up in part due to COVID-19. Tripathi stated tolerance of the modified Atkins diet was much better than what is seen with the ketogenic diet plan.
” While the customized Atkins diet may be an effective treatment in controlling seizures, additional research study is required to recognize other aspects and genetic biomarkers related to the reaction to this diet plan,” Tripathi included. “This may enhance client care by motivating targeted precision based earlier use of this diet plan.”
Referral: “Safety, Efficacy, and Tolerability of Modified Atkins Diet in Persons With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial” by Mala Manral, Rekha Dwivedi, Sheffali Gulati, Kirandeep Kaur, Ashima Nehra, Ravindra Mohan Pandey, Ashish Datt Upadhyay, Savita Sapra and Manjari Tripathi, 4 January 2023, Neurology.DOI: 10.1212/ WNL.0000000000206776.
A restriction of the study is that seizures were self-reported or reported by caregivers, so some seizures might not have been reported.
The study was moneyed by the Department of Biotechnology, India.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by reoccurring seizures. Seizures are abrupt, short episodes of transformed brain function that can cause modifications in movement, awareness, or behavior. There are numerous various types of seizures, and the frequency and intensity of seizures can differ considerably from individual to individual. Despite the proven efficacy of the ketogenic diet plan in decreasing seizures, its requiring standards and restrictions can make it challenging to adhere to. Participants logged their meals and seizures.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition defined by persistent seizures. There are lots of various types of seizures, and the frequency and seriousness of seizures can differ significantly from individual to individual.
According to a study released in Neurology– the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology– a mix of a customized Atkins diet plan rich in low and fat in carbohydrates in addition to medication may reduce the frequency of seizures in individuals with hard-to-treat epilepsy.
” For individuals with drug-resistant epilepsy, or those who have actually been unable to find an efficient treatment to reduce seizures, its encouraging to see that there are lifestyle modifications that can be combined with standard drug treatment to reduce the variety of seizures,” said research study author Manjari Tripathi, MD, DM, of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. “Our study found that this mix may decrease the opportunity of seizures by over half.”
The customized Atkins diet blends the Atkins diet plan and the ketogenic diet plan, featuring foods such as soy products, whipping cream, oils, butter, leafy green vegetables, and animal protein like eggs, chicken, fish, and bacon. In spite of the tested efficacy of the ketogenic diet in minimizing seizures, its demanding constraints and standards can make it challenging to follow. The customized Atkins diet plan uses a more flexible alternative.