The ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate, high fat and adequate protein diet that is effective for the management of drug-resistant seizures – and is most commonly used in children. Administration of the diet, however, requires the support of a trained dietitian. The lack of trained dietitians in many programs across Ontario limits the use of the ketogenic diet.
 
Dr. Whiting and her colleagues have compared the healthcare utilization of children with epilepsy before and after starting the ketogenic diet. They surveyed children from 2000 to 2010. They found that children used less healthcare resources after starting the diet. In addition, the reduced healthcare usage resulted in reduced healthcare costs.
 
This study highlights the benefits of starting children with drug-resistant epilepsy on the ketogenic diet. Not only will children benefit from better access to the diet, but the government could save in healthcare costs by making the diet more readily available. For this to happen, however, more dietitians would have to be hired.