The study appears in the current online edition of The Lancet Neurology and will appear in the June print issue.
"We have shown that the diet has efficacy and should be included in the management of children who have drug-resistant epilepsy. However, the diet is not without possible side effects, which should be considered alongside the risk-benefit of other treatments when planning the management of such children," the study authors wrote.
More information is needed about the long-term effects of the ketogenic diet, such as changes in blood fat concentrations and ketosis, Dr. Max Wiznitzer, of Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, wrote in an accompanying comment article.
"Better identification of epilepsies that benefit from starting early on the ketogenic diet and comparisons between the choices of ketogenic diet are needed," he wrote.
More information
The Epilepsy Foundation has more about the ketogenic diet.
