[Dietary aspects of epilepsy]

The ketogenic diet has been used long for the treatment of epilepsy. The high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet creates ketosis. Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown the results are consistent. Ten percent of the patients who start the diet become seizure free, 50% experiences 50% seizure reduction. The diet is hardly tolerable but also effective in therapy-resistant patients. Trials are under way with new methods, like the Atkins diet, low-glycaemic-index treatment, polyunsaturated fatty acids, to make the diet more tolerable and widely available.