© Reed Hutchinson/UCLAElaine Hsiao, senior author of the study, said the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet has such health benefits as fewer seizures for children with epilepsy who do not respond to anti-epileptic medications.
The ketogenic diet has numerous health benefits, including fewer seizures for children with epilepsy who do not respond to anti-epileptic medications, said Elaine Hsiao, UCLA assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology, and senior author of the study. However, there has been no clear explanation for exactly how the diet aids children with epilepsy.
Researchers in Hsiao's laboratory hypothesized that the gut microbiota is altered through the ketogenic diet and is important for the diet's anti-seizure effects. Hsiao's research team conducted a comprehensive investigation into whether the microbiota influences the ability of the diet to protect against seizures and if so, how the microbiota achieves these effects.
Comment: Very interesting study. Most previous research has speculated that the effects of ketones themselves on the brain are responsible for the anti-seizure effects of the ketogenic diet. But maybe it's the changes in the microbiome, spurred on by the diet, that are actually responsible. Given the growing recognition of the importance of gut bacteria in many aspects of health, it would be unsurprising if what this research is pointing to ends up being correct.
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