Efficacy and side effects of Chinese style modified Atkins diet on patients with refractory epilepsy

Objective To observe the efficacy and side effect of Chinese style modified Atkins diet as add-on therapy in Chinese patients with intractable epilepsy to provide an easier operational choice for these patients.Methods A prospective study was performed on the clinical data of 15 patients with intractable epilepsy,admitted to our hospital from January 2010 to May 2013.On the basis of Johns Hopkins hospital operation method,other three measures were added:recommending calories and protein restriction,guaranteeing lowest fat intake,and choosing 1 g carbohydrate as one serving.All the patients were implemented with this method on the base of drugs.The efficacy,retention rate and side effect after this diet were observed.Results These patients were followed-up for 6 months to 3 years.Three patients (20％) had no attack,4 (26％) had reduced onset of ＞90％ attacks,6 (40％) had reduced 50％ -90％ of their attacks,and the other two did not enjoy good effect.The retention rate at 6 months was 66％; 33％ patients (5/15) had elevated blood lipids (including triglyceride and cholesterol).Conclusion As compared with ketogenic diet,Chinese style modified Atkins diet achieves similar effect,enjoying higher retention rate and fewer side effect,which is worth for clinical promotion.