J Korean Epilepsy Soc.
2003 Dec;7(2):108-111.
A Study on the Age-Dependent Ketosis Induced by the Ketogenic Diet
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Pediatrics, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
- 2Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
- 3Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 4Department of Pediatrics, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 5Department of Pediatrics, Eulji University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Abstract
-
PURPOSE: Ketogenic diet (KD) remains a therapy in search of explanation although it is an established treatment for patients with intractable epilepsy. It has been clinically proven more efficacious at younger ages, presumably because of the enhanced ability of the immature brain to extract and utilize ketone bodies. The study was designed to investigate whether ketosis induced by the KD is age-dependent.
METHODS
A KD ([fat]:[protein+carbohydrate] ratio of 4.3:1) was administered to male Sprague-Dawley rats for 3 weeks, while control animals were fed a standard rodent chow. Dietary treatment was initiated at either postnatal 3 or 12 weeks. Blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) levels were assayed from blood obtained via the tail vein with the Keto-SiteTM reflectance meter and test cards on treatment day 21.
RESULTS
Blood BHB levels in the KD-treated group were significantly higher than those in the control group in 3 week-old rats (4.18+/-0.62 [n=30] vs. 0.27+/-0.02 [n=30] mM, respectively; p<0.0001) and 12 week-old rats (0.86+/-0.06 [n=30] vs. 0.22+/-0.02 [n=30] mM, respectively; p<0.0001). In the KD-treated groups, blood BHB levels of 3 week-old animals were significantly higher than those of 12 week-old ones (p<0.0001), whereas in the control groups, no significant differences in blood BHB levels between the two age groups (p>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The present study demonstrates that the KD induces more severe ketosis in younger rats. Age-dependent differences in the degree of ketosis induced by the KD may explain that the diet is clinically more efficacious at younger ages.
Keyword
- Full Text Links
-
- Actions
-
Cited
- CITED
-
- Close
- Share
-
- Similar articles
-
- Rationale, Feasibility and Acceptability of Ketogenic Diet for Cancer Treatment
- Two Cases of Ketogenic Diet-Induced Prurigo Pigmentosa and a Literature Review
- A Case of Infantile Spasm Associated with Acute Renal Failure and Kwashiorkor after Ketogenic Diet
- Ketogenic Diet for Intractable Epilepsy in Infancy and Childhood: Anti-epileptic Efficacy and Tolerability
- Two Cases of Renal Stone Associated with Ketogenic Diet
