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Use of the modified Atkins diet for treatment of refractory childhood epilepsy: a randomized controlled trial

Suvasini Sharma1, Naveen Sankhyan, Sheffali Gulati

  • 1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Epilepsia
|January 9, 2013
PubMed

Insights

The modified Atkins diet significantly reduced seizure frequency in children with drug-refractory epilepsy. This dietary intervention was effective and well-tolerated, offering a new treatment option for difficult-to-manage epilepsy cases.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatric Epilepsy Management
  • Nutritional Therapy

Background:

  • Epilepsy affects millions of children worldwide.
  • Drug-refractory epilepsy presents significant treatment challenges.
  • Dietary interventions are explored for managing difficult-to-treat epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of the modified Atkins diet (MAD) in children with refractory epilepsy.
  • To compare MAD with no dietary intervention in a randomized controlled trial.
  • To assess the safety and tolerability of MAD in pediatric epilepsy patients.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving children aged 2-14 years with daily seizures despite multiple anticonvulsant drugs.
  • Participants were randomized to either the modified Atkins diet or a control group for 3 months.
  • Seizure control at 3 months was the primary endpoint, with intention-to-treat analysis.

Main Results:

  • The modified Atkins diet group showed a significantly greater reduction in mean seizure frequency (59% of baseline) compared to the control group (95.5% of baseline, p=0.003).
  • A higher proportion of children on MAD achieved >90% seizure reduction (30% vs. 7.7%, p=0.005) and >50% reduction (52% vs. 11.5%, p<0.001).
  • Constipation was the most frequent adverse effect, reported in 46% of children on the diet.

Conclusions:

  • The modified Atkins diet is an effective intervention for reducing seizure frequency in children with drug-refractory epilepsy.
  • MAD was found to be well-tolerated in this pediatric population.
  • This dietary approach offers a viable alternative for managing refractory epilepsy in children.
Abstract

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