Philosophical Vegan Forum

What do you think, is it true that ketogenic diets (AKA, the low-carb, low-protein, high-fat diets) help against epilepsy?
To me, this sounds a lot like alternative medicine claims. I mean, claiming that coconuts, if taken in large quantities, somehow help with epilepsy is only one step more scientific than claiming they don't cause heart disease and diabetes. Claiming coconuts (or, for that sake, butter) don't cause heart disease and diabetes is obviously wildly against accepted facts of nutritional science.
Claiming coconuts somehow help with epilepsy isn't as wildly incoherent with science, but it isn't coherent with it either. I mean, how could it possibly work? Hypoglycemia doesn't help against epilepsy, anti-diabetic drugs don't work against epilepsy. Ketones don't have anti-convulsion properties, drugs that make the liver produce more ketones have no effect against epilepsy.
To me it seems like somebody who values science-based medicine won't try to treat epilepsy with coconuts. And I think most doctors would agree with that, doctors generally prescribe diets only when proven methods appear ineffective, if even then.
As for evidence-based medicine, it's hard to tell. High-quality evidence for diets treating some disease is usually difficult or impossible to acquire, because you usually can't do double-blind studies. Furthermore, I don't really trust the evidence there, there is an obvious financial incentive to make people think coconuts help against epilepsy: coconuts are expensive and widely viewed as unhealthy, so studies can easily be biased by those who produce coconuts.

The ketogenic diet is one treatment option for children or adults with epilepsy whose seizures are not controlled with AEDs. The diet may help to reduce the number or severity of seizures and may have other positive effects. The keto diet could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. Strict diets like keto could also cause social isolation or disordered eating. Keto is not safe for those with any conditions involving their pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder.

I got epilepsy and have heard about this, not sure if it helps or not but is interesting.

Kaz1983 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 25, 2020 4:32 pm I got epilepsy and have heard about this, not sure if it helps or not but is interesting.

I read a lot about and a lot of people tell me that it helps.
You should also check this type of diet which helps to avoid epilepsy.