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Atkins-Like Diet Cuts Epileptic Seizures


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The findings are published in the February issue of the journal Epilepsia.

No one knows how the diet works to reduce seizures, Kossoff said. And, most people find it too hard to follow, so it's probably not a long-term solution for most people with epilepsy, he added.

He also noted that patients who go on the diet need to continue with it, perhaps for years to keep seizures under control.

Text Continues Below



But Kossoff thinks the diet can be simplified to make it easier to follow. "We are looking at less time in the clinic and fewer restrictions and without a dietitian," he said.

Dr. Gholam Motamedi, director of the epilepsy service at Georgetown University Hospital, thinks the diet can be useful for patients who have no other options.

"The study is promising, especially given that patients with refractory epilepsy in particular -- those who are not surgical candidates -- are left with not much hope," he said.

Normally, the plan for these patients is to try a combination of different drugs or to use vagus nerve stimulation, but none of these options offers much hope of seizure control, Motamedi said.

"Therefore, having another modality available is always welcomed by the neurologists," he said. "It also encourages basic research looking for insight to the underlying reasons for epilepsy."

More information

For more on epilepsy, visit the Epilepsy Foundation.

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Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 1/31/2008

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SOURCES: Eric H. Kossoff, M.D., assistant professor of neurology and pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore; Gholam Motamedi, M.D., associate professor of neurology, director, epilepsy service, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.; February 2008, Epilepsia


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