A calculator for the classic and non-classic ketogenic diet based on Chinese food composition therapy on refractory epilepsy

Objective To simplify the manipulation of ketogenic diet recipes through software design. Methods Based on a Chinese food composition database, the software included 3 separate modules for the calculation of recipes for the classic ketogenic diet, modified Atkins diet and low glycemic index diet.It was applied in 10 refractory epilepsy patients, including 8 children and 2 adults, aged from 1 to 34 years, who took an average of 2.7 kinds of medication.Eight patients had daily seizures; the other 2 cases had seizures 4-15 times per month.Two patients used the classic 4:1 ketogenic diet module; 4 patients started with the classic 4:1 ketogenic diet and then shifted to 1:1 to 4:1 modified Atkins diet module after 2 to 5 months; 4 patients used the 1:1 to 4:1 modified Atkins diet module.The software could automatically display the daily recommended intake value of total energy, fat, carbohydrate and protein according to the input of age, height, weight, activity level and the proportion of fat/(carbohydrate and protein), then patients or dietitians were allowed to select a different modules for recipe design. Results Forty percents(4/10 cases) of the patients had seizure reduced to 50%-90%, 20%(2/10 cases) of the patients had seizure reduced to 90%-99%, and 20%(2/10 cases) of the patients became seizure free.Half-year retention rate reached 70%(7/10 cases). Conclusions This specially designed software for Chinese epilepsy patients can help simplify the operation of the ketogenic diet and modified Atkins diet and improve retention rates.It can be used in classic and non-classical ketogenic diets. Key words: Ketogenic diet; Modified atkins diet; Low glycemic index treatment; Software