Use of the Atkins Diet for Children With Intractable Epilepsy: A Comparison of Daily Carbohydrate Limits

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00181090

Enrollment

Registered

2005-09-16

Start date

2005-02-28

Completion date

2006-09-30

Last updated

2009-03-27

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

Conditions

Epilepsy

Keywords

Epilepsy, Ketosis, Atkins, seizures

Brief summary

This study is designed to further investigate the use of a modified Atkins diet for children with intractable, daily seizures. It is a follow-up to a study recently completed by our institution. In this 6-month study, children will be randomized to either 10 or 20 grams of carbohydrate per day, then crossed over to the opposite amount at 3 months.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALModified Atkins diet

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

3 Years to 18 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Ages 3-18 * Daily seizures or 7 per week * Failed at least 2 anticonvulsants

Exclusion criteria

* Prior use of the Atkins diet for over 1 week * Significant heart, liver, or kidney disease

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Seizure control	6 months
Ketosis	6 months

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Tolerability	6 months
Safety - cholesterol, kidney function, weight	6 months

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

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