Use of the Atkins Diet for Adults With Intractable Epilepsy

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00121927

Enrollment

Registered

2005-07-21

Start date

2004-06-30

Completion date

2007-06-30

Last updated

2010-01-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Epilepsy

Keywords

intractable, ketogenic, ketosis, Atkins

Brief summary

This is a prospective study to determine whether the Atkins diet reduces seizures, creates ketosis, and is well tolerated in adults with epilepsy. Approximately 30 patients will be enrolled, expecting 20 to complete the 6-month study. The investigators plan to establish the seizure baseline and type, initiate the Atkins diet, then monitor its administration in terms of seizure reduction, ketosis, and side effects for a 6-month period.

Detailed description

Patients are seen in the Johns Hopkins General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) and started on a modified Atkins diet (15g/day of carbohydrates). Medications remain unchanged and labs are drawn. Followup is at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months into the study. After 1 month, carbohydrates and medications can be altered. Ketosis (urine) is measured by patients semiweekly, weight weekly, and seizures daily and recorded on a calendar. This study is ongoing with approximately 20 patients of 30 enrolled as of February 2006.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALAtkins diet (15 grams/day carbohydrates)

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Ages 18 and over * Weekly seizures or 4 times per month * Use of at least 2 anticonvulsant drugs

Exclusion criteria

* Prior use of the Atkins diet for \> 1 week * Prior use of the ketogenic diet within the past year * Kidney, heart disease, renal disease * Hypercholesterolemia * Pseudoseizures * Pregnancy * Body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 * Status epilepticus within the past 6 months * 2 week seizure-free period within the past 6 months

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Seizure reduction	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Ketosis	—
tolerability	—

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026