Can changing what you eat really help control seizures?
In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben Hopkins sits down with Dr. Eric Kossoff, a leading neurologist at Johns Hopkins who has spent decades researching ketogenic diet therapies for epilepsy.
The ketogenic diet has been used to treat epilepsy for over 100 years, but there’s still a lot people don’t know about how it works. And it turns out, it might not just be about ketones.
Eric explains why ketogenic diet therapy can be effective for children and adults with epilepsy, how it’s become an established treatment in modern medicine, and why he believes we should be looking at using it earlier in the treatment process.
They also get into the five different types of ketogenic diet therapy, the surprising role blood glucose stability could play in controlling seizures, and the possibility that the diet may have benefits that last even after someone stops following it.
In this episode, we discuss:
• How effective ketogenic diet therapy really is for epilepsy
• Why it can work even when ketone levels are low
• The five different ketogenic diets used in clinical practice
• What blood glucose stability might have to do with seizure control
• Why the medical world has been slow to embrace dietary therapies
• Whether starting the ketogenic diet earlier could improve outcomes
• How long children and adults typically stay on the diet
• Whether ketogenic diet therapy can have lasting effects after stopping
• What we know (and don’t know) about exogenous ketones for epilepsy
• The role of parents and families in shaping epilepsy research
One of the most interesting takeaways is that ketones may be only part of the story. Different ketogenic diets may work through different mechanisms, including changes in glucose regulation and the gut microbiome, and researchers are still working to understand exactly how it all fits together.
If you're interested in metabolic health, the brain, or the science behind using nutrition as a medical therapy, this is a fascinating conversation.
Useful resources mentioned in the episode:
Charlie Foundation: https://charliefoundation.org/
Matthews Friends: https://www.matthewsfriends.org/
International Neurological Ketogenic Society: https://neuroketo.org/
Dr. Kossoff and his colleagues also discuss their book, Ketogenic Diet Therapies, written for patients, parents and caregivers.
Important: Ketogenic diet therapy for epilepsy should be undertaken with appropriate medical supervision, including guidance from a neurologist and specialist dietitian.
If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to Degrees of Health and let us know in the comments: Do you think dietary therapies deserve a bigger role in modern medicine?
#DegreesOfHealth #KetogenicDiet #Epilepsy #MetabolicHealth #Keto #Neurology #BrainHealth #NutritionScience
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