Anti Epilepsy Diet - Potentially Useful Diets

Is there any useful anti epilepsy diet which could help treat this condition as well as prevent the seizures which come with it?

If you or someone you love suffers from epilepsy, you have probably been seeking ways to treat and ease seizures for a while now. There are anti-seizure medications, of course, but what about other options? Is there another way to treat epilepsy in a more natural fashion?

New research finds that there is a dietary option for people who suffer from epilepsy that may help treat the disease. While an anti epilepsy diet may not completely stop the symptoms altogether, the research findings are promising.

High Fat Diet

There is a form of epilepsy that many children have whose seizures do not respond to medicine. New research has found that a high fat diet may be helpful in treating this type of epilepsy. The high fat diet has been used since the 1920’s, but was only recently accorded some credibility by new study findings. It forces the body to digest fats instead of sugar for energy, and it’s been found to be highly effective. Breakfast for a youngster on this diet might be bacon, eggs with cheese and cream with water instead of milk. Some of the children have to drink oil to maintain the needed fat.

This may not sound very appetizing, but the results point very promisingly in favor of this type of diet. The downfall? No carbohydrates allowed, at all. Research shows that with this type of diet, if the subject would eat even a small cookie, the seizures would start back up again.

The name of this epilepsy diet is the ketogenic diet and it is making waves for children with non-responsive forms of epilepsy. In one British study, it was found that out of 145 children who suffered from seven seizures a week, the diet reduced their seizures by about half; for five of the subjects, the seizures were reduced by 90%.

Modified Atkins Type Diet

Another study also shows that a modified Atkins type of diet has dramatically reduced seizures in adults, too. High protein and low to no carbohydrates are promising a new life for many people who suffer from epilepsy.

Similar to the previously discussed diet, the idea behind this special anti epilepsy diet is to force the body to get most or all of its energy from fats, which is thought to cause a buildup of ketones in the body. In some cases, this diet has helped to completely eliminate seizures, and while this is not necessarily typical, in most cases, it has helped to dramatically reduce the number of seizures a person might struggle with.

The modified Atkins diet was shown to be effective in children, and was then tested on adults, who also showed promising results with this diet. The new epilepsy diet doesn’t restrict fluids so much and offers a little bit of carbohydrate consumption, but still forces the body to rely on fat and protein for its main source of calories.

In the past, these diets were mostly recommended for children, as their parents can more closely control what they eat. Now, however, with less restrictions, researchers are finding that it is not only possible, but relatively easy, to follow the new epilepsy diet guidelines.

Read More: More on Epilepsy | Natural Health Remedies for Various Ailments and Conditions | Home Page | Site Search

Click here for natural, herbal and homeopathic remedies for epilepsy.

	Get Quality Natural Health Supplements at Reasonable Prices. $5 or $10 discount for new customers
Get natural, herbal and homeopathic remedies for hundreds of health conditions and ailments. GO.

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read. Leave a comment in the box below.

Some Related Epilepsy Pages

Click here for more pages and articles on Epilepsy.