Document Detail


Efficacy of the Atkins diet as therapy for intractable epilepsy in children.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21039004     Owner:  NLM     Status:  In-Process    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The ketogenic diet is an effective medical therapy for intractable childhood epilepsy. However, it has drawbacks in that it restricts calories, fluids and protein. The Atkins diet may also induce ketosis without those restrictions. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a modified Atkins diet in children with intractable childhood epilepsy.
METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted in 51 epileptic children aged 1 - 16 years with refractory seizures from Feb. 2004 to Oct. 2006. Outcome measures included seizure frequency and adverse reactions. Twenty-seven patients left the study for various reasons, leaving 24 who continued the Atkins diet for a minimum of three months. Carbohydrates were initially limited to 10 g/day and fats constituted 60% of the total energy requirement. All participants received vitamin and calcium supplementation.
RESULTS: Following three months of treatment with the Atkins diet, 16 patients (67%) had >50% decrease in seizure frequency, and 6 (25%) had >90% improvement, of whom 5 were seizure-free. Mean seizure frequency after the first, second and third months of treatment were significantly lower than at baseline (P values <0.001, 0.001 and 0.002, respectively).
CONCLUSION: The Atkins diet can be considered as a safe and effective alternative therapy for intractable childhood epilepsy. Atkins diet was well tolerated in our patients with rare complications and it appears to demonstrate preliminary efficacy in childhood refractory epilepsy.
Authors:
Seyed Hassan Tonekaboni; Parvin Mostaghimi; Parvin Mirmiran; Ali Abbaskhanian; Fatemeh Abdollah Gorji; Mohammad Ghofrani; Fereidoun Azizi
Related Documents :
15990934 - Does treatment of coeliac disease require full mucosal recovery?
18281154 - Effects of short-term and long-term treatment with medium- and long-chain triglycerides...
11842874 - Reports on dietary intervention in autistic disorders.
488554 - Effect of an elemental diet (vivonex) on the absorption abnormalities and histological ...
19464364 - Dietary nitrate and nitrite modulate blood and organ nitrite and the cellular ischemic ...
21450124 - Dietary and nutritional considerations for inflammatory bowel disease.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Archives of Iranian medicine     Volume:  13     ISSN:  1029-2977     ISO Abbreviation:  Arch Iran Med     Publication Date:  2010 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-11-02     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  100889644     Medline TA:  Arch Iran Med     Country:  Iran    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  492-7     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Research Institute of Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti Medical University, Shariati Avenue, Tehran, Iran. shtonekaboni@yahoo.com
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of brucellar meningitis.
Next Document:  Practical application of angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry in prostatic adenocarcinoma.