High fat diet cuts seizures

[George K]

This is the kind of thing you'd see on a click-bait type of site.

Nope: Neurology

Epilepsy's Big Fat “Miracle” Scores Again

Tanya J.W. McDonald, MD, PhD, reviewing Manral M et al. Neurology 2023 Jan 4

In adolescents and adults with drug-resistant epilepsy, a modified Atkins diet combined with ongoing standard drug therapy showed reduced seizure frequency and improved quality of life compared with standard drug therapy alone.

Ketogenic diet therapies (KDTs) are high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets that have been used in patients with seizures for more than a century. KDT use in adults is limited by a lack of rigorous evidence from randomized, controlled trials showing improved seizure control. This study addressed whether the addition of a less-restrictive KDT variant, the modified Atkins diet (MAD), to ongoing standard drug therapy (SDT) improves seizure control, quality of life, and behavioral outcomes in adolescents and adults with nonsurgical drug-resistant epilepsy.

Investigators randomized 160 participants (80 adolescents and 80 adults) to either SDT plus MAD (intervention) or SDT with a normal diet (control) and assessed outcomes at 6 months. Fifty-two participants (32.5%) dropped out due to lack of efficacy, nonacceptance of diet, and inability to follow-up; 108 participants (46 MAD, 62 SDT) completed the study. The proportion of participants with >50% seizure reduction from baseline, the primary study outcome, was significantly higher in the intervention group than in controls using intention-to-treat (26.2% vs. 2.5%) and per-protocol analysis (45.7% vs. 3.2%). Participants in the intervention group also showed significant and clinically meaningful improvements in quality-of-life scores and fewer behavioral problems compared with controls. Adverse events were consistent with those reported in other KDT trials and reversible with diet modification.

[Mik]

Sometimes it seems we know so little. We just don’t know what we don’t know. Unknown unknowns.

[George K]

What really pisses me off about reading this type of stuff is the incessant rise of the TLA.

[Mik]

Just laziness. In MFR’s business world it was AFTRB. Another fucking three ring binder.

[Copper]

[Klaus]

@George-K TLA?

[George K]

@Klaus said in High fat diet cuts seizures:

@George-K TLA?

Three-letter-acronym.

(I did that on purpose, you know)