Introduction
Keto diets are known to be very effective for epileptic disorders. The basic idea behind the ketogenic diet is to produce ketosis in the body, which is a metabolic state that happens when your body runs on fat instead of glucose. Ketosis can be achieved by following the ketogenic diet, which has been proven to help with a variety of health issues including seizures. In this article we’ll explore how using keto can help control seizures and what precautions you should take before starting this type of lifestyle change.
1) A ketogenic diet can reduce seizures in epileptic patients
A ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. It’s not a high protein or vegetarian diet.
It’s also not a low-fat and high-protein plan like Atkins, South Beach or other fad diets. The goal of the ketogenic diet is to induce a metabolic shift into the production of ketone bodies by the liver and muscle tissue that can be used as energy instead of glucose (carbohydrates). This process gets your body into what’s known as “ketoacidosis” which means you have dangerously high levels of acid in your bloodstream – it can cause seizures if you go too long without eating food!
2) A ketogenic diet is a better treatment for epilepsy than anticonvulsant medication.
Ketogenic diets are used by many people with epilepsy as an alternative to anticonvulsant medications. Theoretically, ketogenic diets can be more effective than medication in treating some forms of epilepsy and patients may experience fewer side effects from these medications when on a KD. In addition to being safer than traditional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), there are also potential benefits from eating low-carb foods like high-fat dairy or meat products that don’t require cooking first before consumption—allowing you to get all your nutrients straight from their natural state without any processing at all!
3) The ketogenic diet is the only treatment for epilepsy that works in nearly all kids with epilepsy.
The reason that the ketogenic diet is so effective in children with epilepsy is simple: it works. This means that it has a high success rate, which means more people with epilepsy will be able to live normal lives without medication or surgery.
The ketogenic diet is also safer than traditional methods of treating epilepsy because it doesn’t involve taking pharmaceutical drugs every day or having an operation to relieve pressure on your brain.
4) The typical American diet is bad for epilepsy, and any other diet is better than the standard American diet.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet, so if you’re on the keto diet and want to eat more carbs, it might not be the best option.
On the other hand, if your goal is weight loss or even just maintaining your current level of fitness while eating less total calories and losing fat from your body (instead of muscle), then going low-carb can be beneficial.
5) Patients with epilepsy are at higher risk of having their seizures increase during fasting.
For some patients, fasting can increase the frequency and severity of seizures. This is due to a lack of glucose in the body that causes the brain to produce more ketones (energy) than usual. In other cases, it may cause seizures to decrease or stay at their normal level.
Affected patients are usually young adults who have epilepsy and are taking medications for it. They may also have other medical conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol levels that make them more likely to experience an increase in seizures when they fast (and vice versa).
6) Fasting can help control certain types of seizures, but fasting may also make certain types of seizures worse.
Fasting, the practice of going without food for a period of time, can help control certain types of seizures. However, fasting may also make certain types of seizures worse. For example, children with epilepsy who fast are at a higher risk for seizures during their next meal (known as post-ictal or secondary generalized tonic-clonic status). This is because when your body doesn’t have any glucose (sugar) for energy, it’s more likely to produce abnormal electrical activity in your brain that causes convulsions and loss of consciousness (unconsciousness).
Fasting is not recommended for people with diabetes because it can lead to low blood sugar levels which can be dangerous if left untreated.
7) Children with epilepsy should not fast, and should always be accompanied by a parent or guardian whenever they are not eating.
It is important to note that children with epilepsy should not fast, and should always be accompanied by a parent or guardian whenever they are not eating. Children under two years old should never go on a ketogenic diet.
If your child is six years old or older and has been diagnosed with epilepsy, it’s best if you begin their treatment with medication instead of the ketogenic diet.
8) Children under two years old should never go on a ketogenic diet, due to risks associated with very low levels of carbohydrates.
- Children under two years old should never go on a ketogenic diet, due to risks associated with very low levels of carbohydrates.
The risks include:
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
- Brain damage or death if seizures occur.
9) The ketogenic diet causes hypoglycemia, which can cause brain damage or death if left untreated.
Hypoglycemia is a serious condition that can lead to seizures and brain damage if left untreated. The most common cause of hypoglycemia is eating large amounts of carbohydrates, especially those with fructose (like fruit).
To avoid hypoglycemia:
- Avoid starchy foods like breads, rice and potatoes. They’re high in carbohydrates and can cause spikes in blood sugar levels when consumed alone or combined with other foods such as protein or fat. Instead eat vegetables instead of these types of starches because they’re low on the glycemic index scale (GI). This means they won’t raise your blood sugar as much as other starches would do when eaten alone but still provide enough energy for you throughout the day without causing any significant fluctuations between your fasting glucose level which should be below 70 mg/dl before eating anything else besides water so keep track yourself on how many hours after waking up have passed since then!
10) The ketogenic diet can cause dangerous side effects such as osteoporosis, kidney stones, high cholesterol levels and heart disease.
The ketogenic diet can cause dangerous side effects such as osteoporosis, kidney stones, high cholesterol levels and heart disease.
- Osteoporosis is a condition that causes bones to become brittle and weak over time. It’s caused by a lack of calcium in your body (as occurs on the ketogenic diet). This can lead to bone fractures or even affected organs like your kidneys failing completely.
- Kidney stones are small clumps of minerals (calcium) that form inside the urine; this process happens when you have an imbalance between the amount of acids present in your urine vs the amount of salts dissolved in it (known as buffer capacity). When these crystals build up too much pressure on their own they may become lodged inside one or more nephrons—the part of your kidneys responsible for filtering blood before it leaves through tubules into each fluid chamber called capsule-like structures called vesicles where they’ll be reabsorbed into body tissues via lymphatic networks throughout our bodies’ various organs!
Ketone bodies may have anticonvulsant effects in animal models of epilepsy; thus patients following a KD may experience fewer or less intense seizures. They are produced when the body breaks down fat for energy. This process can be enhanced by a ketogenic diet, which forces your body to burn more fat as fuel and produce more ketones.
In animal models of epilepsy, which are similar to humans in many ways, ketone bodies have anticonvulsant effects—meaning they may help reduce seizure frequency or severity. This is why some people on a strict ketogenic diet may experience fewer or less intense seizures than they would during their usual routine fasting periods.
Conclusion
All in all, a ketogenic diet is a great way to treat epilepsy. It can be expensive, but it’s worth it for the health benefits that it brings. It’s also important to keep in mind that you may need to see a doctor before starting this type of diet because some people have conditions that prevent them from eating certain foods.
