A Decade of the Modified Atkins Diet for Epilepsy

In the December issue of the journal Epilepsy and Behavior, Drs. Kossoff and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine present a review of the history and current use of the modified Atkins Diet for the treatment of epilepsy in the United States. They note:

• Modified Atkins Diet has been used since 2003 for the treatment of children and adults with refractory epilepsy.

• Typically, this diet is started in a clinic without fasting or hospitalization and with the restriction of protein, calories or fluid intake.

• After 10 years of its continued use, more than 30 studies of the modified Atkins Diet as a treatment for intractable seizures which looked at 400 patients found it yielded similar effectiveness to the ketogenic diet and improved tolerability.

• The modified Atkins Diet is being increasingly used in the adult population.

• Clinical trials have provided insight into the mechanisms of action of dietary therapies overall. The diet seems to be being increasingly utilized in adult patients with intractable epilepsy.

• There are still concerns with regards to side effects, such as a slight increase in total cholesterol (187-201) and an associated increase in HDL cholesterol, although that has not been found to be statistically significant.

• Studies also show that this less restrictive diet can preserve efficacy and improve tolerability in the health of the children and adults receiving dietary treatment.