A newer horizon in non-pharmacological management of intractable epilepsy of childhood: the ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, low carbohydrate and adequate protein diet that was formulated in the early 1920s as a treatment of intractable epilepsy, when only bromides and phenobarbitones were available. With the discovery of phenytoin in 1935 and other anticonvulsants in subsequent decades its popularity gradually waned off but recently KD has got a resurgence in the management of intractable epilepsy especially of childhood onset, despite the availability of increasing number of new Antiepileptic drugs and surgical techniques.