The Anticonvulsant Effect of the Ketogenic Diet in the Treatment of Epilepsy

Epilepsy has been considered a chronic brain disorder, which affects almost 1% of the world population. Among this population, about a third of epilepsy patients are considered as the drug-resistant group who are not responsive to anti-epileptic medicaments. The ketogenic diet has been defined as a diet containing high fat, low carbohydrate, and limited protein. The ketogenic diet has a substantial effect on body metabolism in a way that body and brain would utilize ketone bodies instead of glucose. Fundamentally, this diet helps some patients who are resistant to anticonvulsant drugs.

Maintaining this diet for a long time causes a positive effect and has a much more efficient impact on children rather than adults, but it could lead to some adverse effects, including renal stone, bone fracture, and hypercholesterolemia. In this study, we reviewed the relationship between ketogenic diet and epilepsy disorder and discussed the potential mechanisms of action.