Arch Dis Child. Now, a new paper was published in Obesity Reviews considers the scientific support to possible contraindications for a ketogenic diet. Raven, New York, N Engl J Med ;— The muscles and other tissues progressively switch their energy source from glucose to free fatty acids. The inborn errors of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. Kinsman SL, et al. Therapeutic effects of a ketogenic diet in Rett syndrome.
NCBI Bookshelf. Uppaluri 3. Despite continuous advances in the medical world, obesity continues to remain a major worldwide health hazard with adult mortality as high as 2. The majority of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are largely related to obesity which is usually a product of unhealthy lifestyle and poor dietary habits. One diet regimen that has proven to be very effective for rapid weight loss is a very-low-carbohydrate and high-fat ketogenic diet. A ketogenic diet primarily consists of high-fats, moderate-proteins, and very-low-carbohydrates. Specifically, in a kcal per day diet, carbohydrates amount up to 20 to 50 g per day. He also coined the term “ketogenic diet. The resurgence of the ketogenic diet as a rapid weight loss formula is a relatively new concept the has shown to be quite effective, at least in the short run. Basically, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy production in body tissues. When the body is deprived of carbohydrates due to reducing intake to less than 50g per day, insulin secretion is significantly reduced and the body enters a catabolic state.
The ketogenic diet has been in use for the last 90 years, and its role in the treatment of epilepsy in the pediatric population has been gaining recognition. Parental compliance is good in spite of the inconveniences inherent in following the diet. The significant advancements in understanding the nature of the diet are in better defining when its use is contraindicated and in validating its application in severe epilepsies in infancy, such as infantile spasms. Ninety years after its introduction as an anti-epileptic treatment, 1, 2 and after periods of ups and downs in its use, the ketogenic diet KD has found its proper place in clinical practice. The idea of manipulating diets for therapeutic purposes has been around for centuries. For instance, fasting was used in the treatment of epilepsy since Biblical times Matthew — The first modern reports of its use in the medical literature were by Guelpha in and Conklin in The KD is comprised mostly of fats, with low protein and low-as-possible glucose levels, combined with caloric and fluid intake restriction. In terms of weight, 1 gram of glucose and protein is added for every 3 and 4 grams of fat, respectively. The diet is intended to replace glucose as the main energy source in the brain with ketone bodies, a product of fatty acid degradation. Studies have shown that the KD has the potential to decrease significantly the severity and number of seizures in epileptic children.