Ketogenic Diet & Teens
Diet Study - Aim
To determine both the efficacy of and compliance with the ketogenic diet
in the adolescent population. METHODS: A retrospective study of 45 patients,
aged 12-19 years, consecutively enrolled in a ketogenic diet program from
1994 to 2002, was performed. Thirty-seven patients were from The Johns
Hopkins Medical Institutions; eight were from The University of Texas
at Houston. Charts were reviewed, and patients were contacted by telephone.
Diet Study - Results
Six months after diet initiation, 28 (62 percent) of 45 remained on the
ketogenic diet, with six (21 percent) of 28 having 50-90 percent seizure
reduction, and eight (29 percent) of 28 having >90 percent. At 12 months,
20 (44 percent) of 45 remained on the diet, with seven (35 percent) of
20 having 50-90 percent seizure reduction and six (30 percent) of 20 achieving
>90 percent efficacy. Only 22 percent discontinued the diet for perceived
restrictiveness. The mean diet duration was 1.2 years. Patients with multiple
seizure types did best, whereas gender, prior seizure frequency, diet
ratio, and age did not influence outcome. Patients dependent on parents
for daily care were more likely to remain on the diet at 6 months, but
had less efficacy. Weight loss (60 percent) and menstrual dysfunction
(45 percent of female subjects) were the most commonly reported side effects.
Diet Study - Conclusions
The ketogenic diet is as well tolerated and efficacious for adolescents
with epilepsy as for the general childhood population.
Source: Department of Neurology, Johns
Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 2002
Weight Loss News
Theories about how to lose weight, how to reduce obesity and general weight
management are constantly changing along with ideas about which weight
loss diet program is best and so forth. At present, however, a balanced
diet combined with regular exercise remains the favorite weight loss strategy
of most dietitians and weight loss experts. Return to Weight Loss Data
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