Tag: Pediatric epilepsy

Developed at the Mayo Clinic in the 1920s by Dr. Russell Wilder, the ketogenic diet was originally prescribed for drug-resistant epilepsy in children. This medical diet was designed to mimic the metabolic state of fasting, which had been anecdotally known to control seizures for centuries.

Originally developed at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2002, the Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) was created as a less restrictive dietary therapy for epilepsy compared to the classic ketogenic diet. This outpatient-initiated approach has since been proven effective for seizure management in hundreds of patients and is especially suitable for adolescents and adults who have not responded well to traditional medication.

Approximately one-third of children following ketogenic diet therapy for epilepsy experience a greater than 90 percent reduction in seizures. The enteral ketogenic diet is a highly controlled method of delivering this therapy via a feeding tube, used for patients who cannot receive nutrition orally.

According to a 2025 meta-analysis, ketogenic dietary therapies (KDTs) can be an effective treatment option for reducing seizure frequency in patients with Dravet syndrome. Understanding **what is the diet for Dravet syndrome** is a crucial topic for families seeking adjunctive therapies for this severe form of epilepsy.