Diets For People With Epilepsy – Through the use of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, the ketogenic diet can reduce seizures and increase antiepileptic control in people who have shown a reduced response to pharmacological / surgical treatment and resistance to drugs.
The ketogenic diet, commonly known as Keto, is a diet that fasts the body in order to produce ketone bodies. The diet includes a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates, which allows the body to break down fats instead of sugars and carbohydrates. This metabolic change allows the food to have anticonvulsant potential
Diets For People With Epilepsy
“The ketogenic diet is one of the oldest methods of epilepsy treatment… there is growing evidence that it is useful in controlling seizures in adults.”
Living With Epilepsy
The ketogenic diet works on the main principle of putting the body in a state of ketosis. Ketosis occurs when your body breaks down fat to make ketones, a large fat. In relation to epilepsy, ketosis has been found to reduce electrical excitability in the brain, increase protective factors against unwanted frequent firing by neurons, reduce factors that cause cell death, and reduce pathogenic inflammation in the brain.
The ketogenic diet causes the use of food that will eventually contain the maximum amount of fat, protein, and carbohydrates in a ratio of 4:1 (3:1 for children) that can be done in small or not.
. When you start Keto, the transition from the patient’s diet to a ketogenic diet gradually starts with a 1:1 ratio that increases to the final goal of a 4:1 ratio of fat to protein/carbohydrates.
Does Keto Work For Everyone?
. Since there is a reduction in the amount of minerals and vitamins from food, the increase is important if there is a ketogenic diet.
Disclaimer: Please consult your healthcare professional before starting any new type of treatment plan or diet to make sure it is right for you. Please note that the diet will be calculated according to the individual’s needs and health goals.
Below is an example of a possible diet plan for treating epilepsy using a ketogenic diet. This meal is an example of a 3:1 ratio with 400 kcal.
Ketogenic Diet & Epilepsy
The keto diet alters the metabolism of the brain, which is why it is thought to reduce seizure activity in people with epilepsy.
If you have answered any of these questions, the ketogenic diet may be the best option for you.
Refractory epilepsy has been treated since the 1920s using a ketogenic diet. Ketogenic diet (KD) is a diet high in fat – Although there is no specific diet that helps prevent seizures, whole grains and fruits are healthy choices for people with epilepsy and not.
What Are Ketogenic Diets Actually Used For?
Epilepsy is a common disease that causes seizures. Anticonvulsant drugs are often the first line of defense against the disease. But maintaining a healthy diet can improve your overall health and can reduce symptoms, even if there is no diet designed to reduce seizures.
Although there is no specific diet to eat or avoid if you have epilepsy, it is important to support your health as you manage the condition by eating a balanced diet. Research also shows that the ketogenic diet and modified Atkins diet can help reduce epilepsy, but do not try them without your doctor’s recommendation and supervision.
There is no specific diet to prevent epilepsy and little evidence suggests that a healthy diet alone can improve epilepsy. However, the Epilepsy Society still recommends a balanced diet so that your body and brain get the nutrients they need to stay as healthy as possible.
Important Things To Know About Epilepsy
Carbohydrates are one of the main carbohydrates that make up a balanced diet, according to a StatPearls article for July 2021. They are the most important source of energy for your body, and healthy carbohydrates also provide fiber and many vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to health.
Protein is another important macronutrient that provides energy and helps your body fight infection, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). It is composed of amino acids, which are necessary for building and repairing tissues, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, eat a variety of plant proteins each day to get all the amino acids you need, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Ketogenic Diet For Epilepsy Control And Enhancement In Adaptive Behavior
Fat is another important macronutrient that gives you energy and helps your body absorb vitamins, according to the NIA.
U.S. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends 11.5 cups of water from food and drink per day for those assigned female at birth (AFAB) and 15.5 cups for individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB). Although these guidelines are from 2004, they are still widely accepted as a standard for daily water intake.
Another great tip for getting enough water is to calculate your body weight (in pounds) and drink this amount in ounces of water or another hydrating drink each day.
Epilepsy Awareness Day Provides Education For Seizure Prevention, Safety
Anti-epileptic drugs increase the conversion of vitamin D in your body and reduce your absorption of biotin, says Cathy Breedon, PhD, RD, a clinical and metabolic nutritionist and registered physician at Sanford Medical Center in North Dakota. Additionally, some anticonvulsants can increase your risk of B vitamin deficiency, such as folate and vitamin B12.
Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about whether your treatment may be causing a vitamin deficiency and if you need to change your diet because of it.
Although things like stress or lack of sleep can trigger epilepsy in some people, no food causes it, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. In fact, eating disorders rarely lead to seizures, according to a January 2018 review in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment.
A Diet Appears To Cut Risk Of ‘seizures By More Than Half’ In People With Epilepsy
That said, there are some things to avoid with epilepsy in order to keep your body healthy, and these are the same foods to stop or prevent for people who don’t have the condition.
While healthy fats are an important part of a healthy diet, saturated and trans fats are not very good for you. They can raise your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The NIA therefore recommends limiting the following sources of saturated and trans fats in favor of healthier options:
What Is Epilepsy
Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic. And while more research is needed to better understand the connection between your health, epilepsy, and caffeine, there is some evidence that caffeine can increase your risk of seizures, according to the Epilepsy Society.
Although more studies are needed to confirm this relationship, some preliminary research suggests that artificial sweeteners like aspartame may make you more prone to breakouts, according to a May 2016 review in
Although they may not cause seizures, certain juices — such as pomegranate and grapefruit — can put you at greater risk of side effects from common epilepsy medications such as carbamazepine, diazepam and midazolam, according to the Epilepsy Society. Ask your doctor about certain foods to avoid from your medication.
Dietary Approaches To Epilepsy Treatment: Old And New Options On The Menu
Some doctors recommend the low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet to help manage seizures, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Although the fad diet is often used for weight loss, it has been used to treat epilepsy since the 1920s, according to an October 2019 study in the.
Today it is still used to reduce seizures, especially in children with drug-resistant epilepsy, according to a review of January 2018 in.
The idea behind the diet is to teach your body to burn fat for energy instead of carbs, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of fuel. But if you drastically reduce your carb intake on a keto diet, your body will instead burn fat to make ketones for energy.
Ms And Diet: Foods To Eat And Avoid
This focus on fat can change the “excitement” of your brain, which can reduce your risk of seizures, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic reports that almost half of the children who tried the keto diet had a 50% reduction in seizures – although it is important to note that this is a link, not a cause.
However, the keto diet is restrictive and can be difficult to follow long-term, which is why it is usually only used under the supervision of a doctor as an anti-epileptic diet for children. Otherwise, following such a low-carb diet can cause malnutrition, liver and kidney problems, and poor judgment, according to Harvard Health Publishing, so it’s best to try keto only if your doctor recommends it.
If your doctor recommends a ketogenic diet, work with them to find the best foods for you. In general, here are some carbohydrate-rich foods to eliminate from your epilepsy menu, according to the Mayo Clinic:
Are There Any Foods To Avoid With Epilepsy?
The ketogenic diet is high in saturated fat, which in excess can contribute to other health issues such as high cholesterol and heart disease. Value healthy sources of fat by limiting your saturated fat intake to no more than 7% of your daily calories, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Depending on your gender, here is the recommended amount of calories from saturated fat per day based on the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:
If the ketogenic diet seems overwhelming, other low-carb plans like the Modified Atkins Diet – or MAD – may work for you instead. MAD limits carb intake to 10-20 grams per day, but
Epilepsy Dietary Therapy (ketogenic Diet)
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