title: The ketogenic diet: additional information from a crossover study.
abstract: The purpose of this blinded, crossover study of the ketogenic diet in children with the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome was to confirm, by the addition of 60 g of glucose per day to negate the ketosis, that the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet was neither the result of a placebo effect nor due to parental expectations and commitment. We found that the additional glucose did not significantly alter the frequency of electroencephalography-assessed events, but did decrease the frequency of parent-reported "drop" seizures (P = .07). Fasting had substantial effects on both seizures and electroencephalography-assessed events. The diet remained effective in decreasing seizures of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome at 12 days, 6 months, and 12 months. In conclusion, the ketogenic diet is effective in decreasing the drop seizures of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. jfreeman@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D031204:Caloric Restriction / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D055423:Diet, Ketogenic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000178:diet therapy*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007659:Ketones / Q000378:metabolism; D012439:Saccharin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007659:Ketones; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D012439:Saccharin; D005947:Glucose