[Therapeutic approach to epilepsy from the nutritional view: current status of dietary treatment].

Abstract

Approximately 20%-30% of epilepsy patient do not respond adequately to drug treatment. In this population, a dietary treatment has been posed as a therapeutic alternative or coadjuvant tool. This present work has aimed to carry out a review on the dietary alternatives currently available to treat epilepsy (ketogenic diet, Atkins' diet, etc.). The ketogenic diet has been used and studied the most in this neurological disorder. That is why it is also the one that has undergone the greatest change. Furthermore, this diet has caused the most controversy about its action mechanism, efficacy and adverse effects as well as about what would be the best protocol to carry it out. Many observational studies and reviews on this subject that support the beneficial effect of the ketogenic diet have been conducted. However, controlled, randomized clinical trials with larger population samples are needed to confirm these results in order to achieve an optimum and individualized dietary treatment in refractory epilepsy.

• Authors: M Vicente-Hernández, P Garcia-Garcia, A Gil-Nagel, F Lopez-Munoz, C Alamo
• Journal: Neurologia (Barcelona, Spain) (Neurologia) Vol. 22 Issue 8 Pg. 517-25 (Oct 2007) ISSN: 0213-4853 [Print] Spain
• Vernacular Title: Abordaje terapéutico de la epilepsia desde la perspectiva nutricional: situación actual del tratamiento dietético.
• PMID: 17641989 (Publication Type: English Abstract, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Anticonvulsants
• Dietary Fats
• Fatty Acids, Omega-3
• Ketone Bodies
• Triglycerides
• Glucose
• Carnitine

Topics

• Anticonvulsants (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Brain (metabolism)
• Carnitine (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Child
• Clinical Trials as Topic
• Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted
• Dietary Fats (administration & dosage, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Drug Resistance
• Energy Intake
• Energy Metabolism
• Epilepsy (diet therapy, drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Fasting
• Fatty Acids, Omega-3 (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Glucose (adverse effects, metabolism)
• Humans
• Ketone Bodies (metabolism)
• Treatment Outcome
• Triglycerides (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)