Abstract

Objective: to compare dietary treatments and their effectiveness in reducing seizures through a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials Methods: Using the PRISMA Method, the Primo database was searched to find peer-reviewed articles where researchers compared one treatment against another. The treatments of choice present in all studies are the Ketogenic Diet and the Modified Atkins Diet. Due to the nature of the experiments, the Ketogenic Diet was considered the control, as it was coined first. Results: Of the 450 articles identified, 378 met the primary peer review threshold and 190 were classified as Open Access. Eight met eligibility and were included in this review. 443 patients across all studies were assigned either a Ketogenic Diet or a Modified Atkins Diet for a median period of 3 months. 48.17% of MAD patients had a significant decrease in seizure frequency, compared to 61.11% of patients under KD. As much as the ketogenic diet showed better results overall, there was no statistical difference in the odds of achieving a significant reduction in seizures using either diet. Significance: Trials suggest that while there was not a significant difference in this study between the ketogenic diet and the modified Atkins diet, there was a trend for ketogenic diets to be more effective than the more recent Modified Atkins diet for drug-resistant epileptics. However, the sample size needs to be increased before a more accurate determination can be made.

Thesis Completion

2022

Semester

Fall

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Reyes-Foster, Beatriz M.

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Medicine

Department

Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences

Degree Program

Biomedical Sciences

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

12-15-2022

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Pediatrics Commons

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