Sugar free diets prescribed for over a thousand years?

[Bernard]

Glucose -- a type of sugar -- has long been established as a cause of seizures. Recognizing this cause, doctors have prescribed sugar-free diets as a way to prevent seizures for thousands of years.

"The fact that a sugar-free diet can treat seizures has been known since biblical times," Roopra said. "People with epilepsy would be advised to effectively starve themselves and would be given nothing but water."

People suffering from epilepsy are often still prescribed a sugar-free diet as a means of combating their condition. However, adhering to a sugar-free diet can be difficult because of the risk of nutritional deficiencies and the extreme vigilance necessary for the diet to be effective.

Experiments have shown that children on sugar-free diets can rapidly experience seizures when they consume even a small dose of sugar, such as a cookie or a small piece of bread.

Unless they are referring to the ketogenic diet (which is more than just a sugar elimination diet), I'm a bit surprised that I haven't heard more about this sugar free diet for epilepsy.

I found this in an article about 2DG (2-deoxy-glucose) which researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found blocks the onset of epileptic seizures in laboratory rats.

Study suggests compound can treat epilepsy

 

[Bernard]

Ah, I see they were referring to the ketogenic diet. Another article on the same subject:

The finding comes from researchers including Avtar Roopra, PhD, of the neurology department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Their study appears in Nature Neuroscience's advance online edition.

More than 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, 20 million of whom "continue to have seizures despite treatment with current antiepileptic drugs or surgery," Roopra's team writes.

The researchers reasoned that ketogenic diets, being low in carbohydrates, result in very little glycolysis (carbohydrate breakdown).

So the scientists tested a glycolysis-blocking chemical in a rat model of epilepsy.

The chemical, called 2DG (2-deoxy-D-glucose), reduced the number and severity of seizures in the rats.

Diet May Inspire New Epilepsy Drugs

 

[RobinN]

We need to have a sugar free month on CWE and see if we can reduce the number of seizures.

 

[Dutch mom]

"sugar-free diets as a way to prevent seizures for thousands of years."

"The fact that a sugar-free diet can treat seizures has been known since biblical times," Roopra said. "People with epilepsy would be advised to effectively starve themselves and would be given nothing but water."

These quotes indeed refer to the ketogenic diet (allthough it's true the KD is much more restricted than just sugar free.)

The history of the ketogenic diet goes back many centuries.

Hippocrates allready knew that 'the falling disease' could be cured by fasting (Vinning, 2002 ; Stafstrom, 2004.)

The Bible (Marcus 9; 14-29) mentions the healing of a young man with epilepsy by fasting and prayer.

The metabolic principle of fasting is the basic principle the KD tries to immitate; the KD is 'fooling' the body (a bit like anti conception pills do.)

In the early twenties of the 20th century MacFadden and Geyelin identified the biochemical changes in the body by fasting as ketone bodies produced by the body. Geyelin let his patients fast for three weeks and saw significant less or no seizures.

Wilder published in 1921 that the biochemical effects of fasting could be immitated by a diet high in fat and low in carbs.

The first strictly calculated ketogenic diet was published by Peterman in 1924.

In 1920-1930 the KD was enthousiastic studied and experimentated.

Since 1939 the discovery of diphenylhydatoin introduced a new generation of AED and the KD got forgotten.

50 years later the diet got a new impuls thanks to the media attention for Charlie Abrahams in the US (and the Meryl Streep film First do no Harm, 1997.)

P.S. Robin, an Atkins month might be even more effective.

Mom of an 8-year old boy with LGS syndrome, succesfully on the ketogenic diet

 

[RobinN]

P.S. Robin, an Atkins month might be even more effective.

Yes, I was thinking that after I posted it.
Perhaps we should put a call out for this...

 

[angel]

Ive been thinking about going vegan..... if I do have sugar it will be from honey.... I noticed i need some fat to feel better though which can come from olive oil avocados...

 

[RobinN]

Why are you considering going vegan? Wondering what that has to do with sugar?
Eat fresh unprocessed meat, veggies, a few fruit such as pears, some nuts and water.

 

[Dutch mom]

Hi Angel,

if I do have sugar it will be from honey

Using honey (or other sweetners containing calories) instead of sugar won't help to reduce seizures by the principle meant in this tread; just like sugar honey is full of carbs and an easy source of glucosis for the brain.

Ive been thinking about going vegan

Deleting all meat from your menu makes a low carb diet very difficult. On a ketogenic or Atkins diet meat is a very useful product because many meat contains useful fats and proteins.

You could check out the Atkins for seizures website for information about carbs and products.

Mom of an 8-year old boy with LGS syndrome, succesfully on the ketogenic diet

 

[angel]

Hi Angel,



Using honey (or other sweetners containing calories) instead of sugar won't help to reduce seizures by the principle meant in this tread; just like sugar honey is full of carbs and an easy source of glucosis for the brain.



Deleting all meat from your menu makes a low carb diet very difficult. On a ketogenic or Atkins diet meat is a very useful product because many meat contains useful fats and proteins.

You could check out the Atkins for seizures website for information about carbs and products.

Dutch mom of an 8-year old boy, AED free on the ketogenic diet since 3,5 years

my diet was vegan from 18 years old until i was about 22 every once in a while id have some fish So I guess it wasnt totally vegan .... I had less seizures then....

 

[brain]

I'm allergic to Sugar-Free / Artificial
Sweeteners of any sorts; and even
imitation "by-products" gives me bad
reactions (this includes certain meats
which has pork, beef, chicken, yadda,
yadda, yadda... all that gunk in it).

My food intake is very limited and
restricted, which is why I have my own
garden and stick to natural foods.
Processed foods to a degree is okay.

But I miss my Soy! I used to munch on
unsalted Soy Nuts like people munch on
Potato Chips; but it caused me to have
seizure the next day or two - only that
we didn't know it; it finally was figured
out by the Neuro and he eliminated Soy
and that meant To-Fu had to go too!



-------------------------------------

While Ketogenic Diet is typically
reserved for children, I've been placed
on it twice ... Blaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!
It did work to a degree - but blaaaaahhh!

I refuse to live on Keto! I even told the
Epi "Don't even THINK about putting me
back on Keto diet or I'll quit!"