Experts at the Johns Hopkins University arrived at the conclusion by conducting an experiment that involved monitoring the diets of 30 adult epileptics who have found no relief from at least two anti-epilepsy drugs. The subjects were said to have experienced an average of 10 epileptic seizures every week.
The subjects were given a diet plan that allowed for only 15 grams of carbohydrates per day. It encouraged calories to be taken from eggs, meats, oils, and heavy cream, reported the Washington Post. They were also allowed to eat as much protein and drink as much carbohydrate-free drinks as they wanted.
A feedback given Dr. Eric H. Kossoff of the John Hopkins School of Medicine was regarding the challenging task that eventually became too much for some of the subjects. Despite this, the research yielded good results.
"There was good news and bad news," he said. "The good news was it worked. The bad news, it was tough."
Dr. Kossoff said that 30 percent of the subjects decided to drop out of the experiment, with them finding the dietary restrictions too strict.
"This happened even in patients who had good seizure control who thought the diet was till too tough to do," he said.
The experiment showed about 50 percent of the remaining subjects noticing that the frequency of their seizures had been cut in half, by the first follow-up checkup. One third of the patients achieved the 50 percent reduction in the span of three months.
Despite a slight increase in the cholesterol levels, the overall results were favorable, as reported by Medical News Today.
Dr. Kossoff reported that some subjects decided to continue with the diet even after the experiment.
