In a recent study published in the Nutrients Journal, researchers summarized the evidence on ketogenic diets (KDs) from the past three decades.
Study: The Influence of Ketogenic Diet on Gut Microbiota: Potential Benefits, Risks and Indications. Image Credit: Boontoom Sae-Kor/Shutterstock.com
Background
KD is characterized by minimal intake of carbohydrates, low calories, standard protein levels, and high fat intake. This dietary approach induces biochemical processes that improve disease management.
Nevertheless, KD could cause complications, such as bone diseases, hypoglycemia, gastrointestinal symptoms, dyslipidemia, growth failure, and nephrolithiasis, which are manageable.
Moreover, caution is advised due to the potential possibility of pancreatitis, vascular changes, and cardiac abnormalities.
The gut microbiota contributes to nutrition, metabolism, and the development of nervous and immune systems and is influenced by the environment, diet, drugs, prebiotics, and probiotics.
Modifying these factors could affect disease onset, course, and outcomes, particularly in pediatric populations where the microbiota is more vulnerable to changes. In the present study, researchers reviewed the available evidence on the indications of KD in pediatric populations and its impact on the microbiota.
Indications of KD
KD was widely adopted as an epilepsy treatment in the last century. It is still recommended for refractory epilepsy in children. However, the mechanisms leading to better control of seizures with KD are less clear.
Several studies suggest that KD affects the levels of neurotransmitters involved in seizure onset. For instance, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity might increase in those following a KD.
It has been proposed that KD enhances glycolytic production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and the lower glucose utilization by the brain induces ATP-sensitive potassium channels, elevating epileptic threshold and decreasing seizures.
Moreover, others postulate that KD can exert neuroprotective actions by calbindin upregulation, inhibition of apoptotic factors, and increasing kynurenic acid levels.
A…