Gut-brain axis: Ketogenic diet may protect children with epilepsy, study suggests

20 Dec 2023 — Researchers suggest that ketogenic diets may protect against epileptic seizures through changes in the gut microbiome of children on the diet and microbiome-induced changes in brain gene expression. Transplanting fecal samples of pediatric epilepsy patients on a keto diet into mice helped the mice become more seizure-resistant. 

While the low-carbohydrate, high-fat and protein ketogenic diet is commonly used to address epilepsy in children who don’t respond to anti-seizure medications, the authors note that its use remains low due to difficulties in implementation, compliance with its strict requirements and side effects such as nausea, constipation and fatigue.