"Ketogenic therapies" refers to a type of treatment or dietary approach that focuses on a special low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet called the ketogenic diet. This diet helps the body enter a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
Ketogenic therapies are often used for various medical conditions like epilepsy or as a weight management tool.
Full definition
A child's growth should be regularly assessed while
on ketogenic therapy taking into account that children with neurological disability will often have growth measurements that fall well below the expected for age.
Other rare side effects that have been reported
with ketogenic therapy are increased infection risk, bruising, raised uric acid in the blood, bone fractures, pancreatitis, lipid - aspiration pneumonia, and cardiac abnormalities (1, 6, 27, 28, 29).
Visit our database of hospitals that specialize in
ketogenic therapies for epilepsy as well as our list of independent Ketogenic Professionals who are available to consult on a variety of disorders.
She currently works for Matthews
Friends ketogenic therapy clinics and continues research links with the Institute of Child Health where she holds an honorary post.
Ketogenic therapy tends to produce a very stable blood glucose profile at the mid / low end of the normal range and patients may not show symptoms of hypoglycaemia at 2.5 - 3mmol / l.
Children with drug resistant epilepsy are at risk of insufficient vitamin D status prior to
starting ketogenic therapy (3) and although levels can be normalised with vitamin D supplementation, a decline in both whole body and spine bone mineral content while on the ketogenic diet has been reported (4) despite reduction in anticonvulsant medication.
Gastro - intestinal problems are common side effects of
ketogenic therapy however can usually be alleviated with dietary manipulation.
During initiation of
ketogenic therapy there is a risk of hypoglycaemia, acidosis, dehydration and high levels of ketones (1).
Children on carbonic anhydrase inhibitor medications (for example, topiramate or zonisamide) may have increased risk of excess ketosis and metabolic acidosis on
commencing ketogenic therapy (2).
Nutrition consultant and educator specializing in the implementation of
ketogenic therapies primarily for individuals with cancer Miriam Kalamian is our special 2016 Metabolic Therapeutics Conference guest speaker featured in Episode 1189 of «The...
Constipation is the most common reported complication
of ketogenic therapy; despite dietary changes to help lessen the problem many individuals do need additional treatment with medication.
In practice many dietitians are adopting a more flexible, «patient - tailored» approach to
ketogenic therapy, especially when treating older children and adults.
Since being designed by Dr. Wilder more than 90 years ago,
ketogenic therapies have been used to successfully treat headaches, sleep disorders, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.
Miriam Kalamian is a nutrition consultant, educator, and author specializing in the implementation of
ketogenic therapies.
We advise medical supervision with
all ketogenic therapies.
Ketogenic therapy should be considered as a treatment for epilepsy after two appropriate anticonvulsant medications have failed to be effective or produced unacceptable side effects.
Although clinical evidence is more limited,
ketogenic therapy is also increasingly being explored as a treatment option for other disorders such as neurological cancers.
Information on all types of
Ketogenic Therapy, who can use them and how to prepare yourself and your family for treatment..