Among those dietary regimens is the low-carbohydrate Atkins Diet which has proven successful in suppressing epileptic seizures in a small series of patients. The review, published in Epilepsy Currents, explores the benefits of low-carb, high protein, and other restricted dietary therapies for patients with epilepsy.

There are a number of diets being tried to help people with epilepsy. The ketogenic diet (KD), a high fat, adequate protein, and low carbohydrate diet, is the most well known of dietary therapies amongst the epilepsy community. It was initially devised in 1921 to mimic the anticonvulsant effects of fasting, which were known to suppress seizures. Because the KD is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, the body is forced to burn fat for energy, a process called ketosis. The review explains that this shift in energy results in an anticonvulsant effect, though the exact mechanisms are still not fully understood.

Another treatment, still in preliminary stages, is a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). This may be another option to control seizures. A diet enriched in PUFA has shown to help in brain development and decreases the excitability of nerve cells that can induce seizures. Additionally, a diet high in PUFA may help against the degenerative effects of Alzheimer disease.

These diets have been successful to a point, but each has drawbacks in terms of implementation. As success has been observed with the Atkins diet, people with epilepsy might find this diet to be easier to follow.

Unfortunately, our knowledge about the relation between nutrition and epilepsy is in its infancy, states author Dr. Carl E. Stafstrom. Aside from the ketogenic diet, nutritional modalities to treat epilepsy are premature. Nevertheless, as indicated in this review, several potential treatment adjuncts are on the horizon The potential benefits of dietary alterations comprise an intriguing and novel approach to epilepsy treatment.

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Then, an average of nine years later, the researchers surveyed participants on their ability to perform 12 daily activities, such dressing and feeding themselves and walking across a room, known as activities of daily living; being able to cook and manage their money, known as instrumental activities of daily living; and being able to walk a quarter of mile and walk up 10 steps without resting, to measure functional limitations.

The study adjusted for other factors that could have affected the results “ such as age, education, smoking, and body mass index “ and found that higher amounts of dairy, fruits and vegetables were associated with lower risk of functional limitations. And, among black women, risk of disability was significantly lower.

The median servings for study participants consuming the highest amounts of the foods were two servings of dairy, three servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables. In contrast, median servings for participants consuming the lowest amounts of the foods were less than half a serving of dairy and one or less serving of fruits and vegetables. Current dietary recommendations call for three cups a day of low-fat or fat-free dairy products, two cups (four servings) of fruit and two and a half cups (five servings) of vegetables.

Houston said there are several ways that the foods could affect disability risk. The calcium and vitamin D in dairy foods may decrease the risk of disability associated with osteoporosis and decreased muscle strength. The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables may reduce the accumulation of oxidative damage in tissues, which could slow disability associated with aging and decrease the risk of chronic diseases that can lead to disability.

Houston's co-researchers were June Stevens, Ph.D., Jianwen Cai, Ph.D., and Pamela Haines, Ph.D., all with the University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill.

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