contro convulsions

caminoslo

I have now been keeping track of sugar and i feel like my seizures dont come around no more.
I did a look at the keto diet for adults with seizures it said that it doesnt work on adults cause we are picky about our diets, they also said it will be bad for our cholesterol in the long run?
Anyone is this fact or fiction

Dragonwolf

Sounds like you found a load of malarky.

There is ample evidence (going back nearly a century at this point, I think) that shows that the ketogenic diet is one of the most beneficial for seizures, specifically, and growing evidence of its neuroprotective effects in general and for other issues.

The idea that LCHF diets are bad for our cholesterol, at all, is also a load of bull that's been around since the whole anti-fat stuff started. Check out https://player.vimeo.com/video/45485034 for a great talk on how politics have shaped the USDA recommendations more than science. (The compounding problem, now, is that it's so ingrained that "fat = heart attack" that things like the AHA, et. al. are afraid of being seen as "wrong" one way or the other.) There's quite a bit of evidence showing that LCHF improves cholesterol numbers, including lowering triglycerides (which increase with carbohydrate consumption, not fat) and increasing HDL numbers and improving the HDL:TC and HDL:LDL numbers.

One thing to note -- the ketogenic diet can increase your cholesterol levels, but the fact that it's a bad thing is highly questionable. There is zero correlation between total cholesterol and heart disease risk. If you want a single measurement, the only one that has shown to matter is HDL -- higher is better (and even that seems to have a certain amount of diminishing returns). What matters more are the ratios -- HDL to LDL, HDL to Total Cholesterol, etc -- and the composition of your cholesterol particles -- HDL, LDL, VLDL, etc.

Epilepsy.com also mentions the following "long-term side effects" (which it doesn't cite sources, btw, so I'd take it with a grain of salt):

Kidney stones
High cholesterol levels in the blood
Dehydration
Constipation
Slowed growth or weight gain
Bone fractures

Most of these can really be handled with understanding of how a ketogenic diet works. Kidney stones and bone fractures are generally caused by electrolyte imbalances. In ketosis, the kidneys dump sodium, which throws off the balance. Eventually, to preserve sodium, they switch to potassium. After a while, the body may start to leech calcium to preserve the other electrolytes, causing bone demineralization and calcium buildup in the kidneys. The solution? Don't also restrict sodium, and even make a point to make sure you're getting adequate amounts of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium (and really, minerals in general).

Dehydration and constipation (as well as kidney stones) can be solved and prevented with adequate water intake. Don't be afraid to drink lots and lots of water. You need it. Water restriction was actually something that used to be advised of keto followers. It's not anymore (for good reason).

Slowed growth and weight gain, I suspect are more due to improper diet, as well. If your protein levels creep up too much, your body might be creating glucose from it, which stalls weight loss (particularly in people that are insulin resistant) and can drop you out of ketosis. Some of it may also be due to nutrient deficiencies. It's entirely possible to live on meat alone, but you have to eat the whole animal, including some of the parts that most people would turn their nose up at (brain, eyes, etc). The keto diet doesn't require that, though, and there's usually enough room for a fair amount of non-starchy vegetables. Get plenty of those to ensure adequate nutrition, and consider some good supplements, especially if you know you have a hard time getting certain nutrients, and you should be fine.

As for the "doesn't work on adults because adults are picky eaters." I have no words for how asinine that sounds. If you shouldn't do something because it doesn't work because someone can't comply with it, then we might as well give up on dietary frameworks altogether, because most of them have crap compliance rates (the most optimistic numbers I've seen are something like 70% compliance after 6+ months across the board).

That said, I'd venture to guess that that idea stems from the fact that the original ketogenic diets were akin to eating cardboard. Seriously, the patients basically lived off of MCT oil and some kind of meal shake that provided essential nutrients. Most people with half a brain anymore know that the better route for lifestyle changes (ie - for patients outside of a controlled hospital setting) is to provide a framework such as a modified Atkins diet. You know, one with real, identifiable food.

The ketogenic diet is perfectly safe, even over the long term (after all, there are a number of explorers, including Vilhjalmur Stefansson and Weston A. Price) who studied such groups as the Inuit, and even lived off the same diet, which was almost entirely animal based and upwards of 90% fat, with no adverse effects. You just have to do it right.

There are two giant problems I see over and over again when people first try low carb -- not enough fat and not enough sodium. Both of these stem from the societal pressures that make both seem like the bane of our existence. They aren't, and in fact, they're crucial to a successful ketogenic diet. If you want to be healthy in keto, you must be able to get over the ingrained fear of fat and sodium.

https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/dietary-therapies/ketogenic-diet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhjalmur_Stefansson
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20687386
http://chriskresser.com/cholesterol-doesnt-cause-heart-disease

albertabeefy

Dragonwolf said it all beautifully.

I'll add a few things:

Regarding cholesterol
Those who've seen total cholesterol rise usually see an increase in HDL (which is a good thing). The LDL levels are often still what many would consider "elevated", but many people who choose to undergo advanced lipid testing find that there is often a dramatic improvement in the particle size, further reducing cardiovascular risk.

With an increase in HDL, improvement in LDL particle size AND the lowering of triglycerides that accompanies a properly-executed LCHF (low-carb/high-fat) diet, all markers of cardiovascular health are actually IMPROVED.

Side-Effects
Most of the side-effects mentioned in studies - when you look more deeply - can be attributed to poor nutrition overall rather than to the diet itself. There are many people, regardless of the type of diet they choose, that simply don't ensure they get proper nutrition. It's important regardless of your macro-nutrient profile. As Dragonwolf mentioned, ketogenic dieters DO require additional electrolytes, especially sodium (because we flush water with reduced glycogen stores).

I put salt on everything I want salt on. Period. I also use Powerade Zero when exercising to help maintain proper electrolyte balance.

Slowed-Growth
This is often commented on in regards to the ketogenic diet for epileptic children. However it's important to note that studies show that those diagnosed with epilepsy as children are universally statistically shorter than the norm, regardless of which diet they adhere to. It's the epilepsy, NOT the diet.

History
Dragonwolf is correct on the history being long, but it goes back over 2 centuries, to be precise. As early as 1797, a Scottish doctor, John Rollo, reported on the results of treating two diabetic Army officers with a low-carbohydrate diet and medications. We also know that a very low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet was the standard treatment for diabetes throughout the 19th century.

For epilepsy, the act of reducing carbohydrate by fasting/starvation has been a treatment since 500 BC. In the 1920's the ketogenic diet (which has similar effects, but without the nutritional and other deficits of starvation) became the medical standard for epilepsy treatment. With the advent of pharmaceuticals (specifically anticonvulsants) its use declined starting in the 1940's. Since the mid-90's, however, we've seen a resurgence in it's use, especially in children.

The bottom-line is that if you tolerate it well, there is NO reason why a ketogenic diet can't be used by adults as a treatment for any seizure disorder or any other medical condition (diabetes, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, Hashimoto's, whatever it may be.)