RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Ketogenic diets in the treatment of epilepsy JF Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin JO Drug Ther Bull FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP 66 OP 68 DO 10.1136/dtb.2012.06.0111 VO 50 IS 6 YR 2012 UL http://dtb.bmj.com/content/50/6/66.abstract AB Relevant BNF section: BNF Appendix 2 Epilepsy (a proneness to recurrent seizures) is the most common serious neurological disorder, with an incidence of around 40–70 cases per 100,000 population in developed countries, and a lifetime risk of 1–3%.1–3 Seizures have been reported to cease on absolute fasting, and early studies suggested that a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrate would produce similar conditions to fasting; the anticonvulsant effect was attributed to the production of ketones.2 The ketogenic diet was introduced as a treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s, but its use waned with the introduction of phenytoin and other antiepileptic drugs.2–4 However, around 30% of patients continue to have seizures while taking one or more antiepileptic drugs, and some patients have significant unwanted effects with such medication.1,2 During the past two decades, there has been a renaissance of interest in dietary therapy.2 Here, we focus on the use of ketogenic diets in the treatment of epilepsy.