High-fat diet helps control epileptic seizures

Monday April 6, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- A high-fat nutritional diet will help control epileptic seizures in children but only if parents are careful to monitor their children, according to a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

The diet, a highly regimented ketogenic diet including whipping cream, butter and oil, has been shown to reduce seizure frequency by as much as 90 percent in epileptic children, concludes the study, but requires long-term medical management and a diligent commitment by parents.

Dr. Mary L. Zupanc, medical director of the pediatric epilepsy program at the university, and Beth Zupec-Kania, R.D., C.D., published the study in the November issue of “Epilepsia.” The special high-fat diet regimen also includes a thorough diet history, metabolic assessment of the child and long-term monitoring of seizures, nutrition and vitamin supplements, say the doctors.

“This diet cannot be tried by parents without close medical management and follow-up,” Dr. Zupanc stated in an article posted on Newswise. “It requires careful metabolic monitoring and precise supplementation of missing nutrients.”

She went on to caution parents that “lack of compliance or of consistent medical monitoring can lead to poor growth, impaired nutrition and seizure recurrence.”

If followed correctly the diet is extremely effective, according to the as yet unpublished study of 43 patients between the ages of 12 months and 15 years at Children’s Hospital. Of the children who were put on the ketogenic diet between 2002 and 2006, half saw their incidence of seizures drop by 90 percent.

Most of the children who benefitted from the diet had either a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or generalized epilepsy. The brain activity of the children also improved significantly, according to the study, illustrating the changes in seizure control.

Dr. Zupanc went on to stress the need for careful monitoring and consistent communication between the dietitian and the doctor managing the diet. “Metabolic screening should be performed after the first month and every three months afterward,” she said. “The family should keep a detailed seizure diary. Growth and weight parameters require ongoing monitoring, as do side effects such as lethargy or nausea, which may indicate a hidden metabolic defect.”

The caloric make up of the diet restricts carbohydrates, is high in fats and also requires strong parental support, said Zupec-Kania.

“Fat comprises between 80 and 90 percent of the diet’s calories and is provided by foods such as whipping cream, butter and vegetable oils,” she said. “The remaining calories are allocated to essential protein requirements from meat and fish, and secondarily to low-carbohydrate vegetables and fruit,” she said.

The diet is difficult for patients to follow, she said, because of the elimination of carbohydrate-rich foods such as simple sugars, bread, pasta, cereals and milk.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, about 30 percent of the 125,000 new cases of epilepsy each year begin in childhood, particularly in early childhood and around the time of adolescence. Childhood epilepsy affects more than 2 percent of children worldwide. For more information on epilepsy, go to epilepsyfoundation.org.

(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)