Maria Ruberto¹, Vincenzo Monda², Francesco Precenzano³, Girolamo Di Maio⁴, Antonietta Messina², Valentina Lanzara³, Eugenio Merolla³, Nicola Tartaglia⁵, Antonio Ambrosi⁵, Marcellino Monda², Cristian V. Francavilla⁶, Giovanni Messina⁷, Fiorenzo Moscatelli⁷

¹Centro Minerva pro-Juventute, Naples, Italy
²University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Naples, Italy
³University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Naples, Italy
⁴University of Naples Federico II, Department of Experimental Medicine, Naples, Italy
⁵University of Foggia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Foggia, Italy
⁶University of Enna “Kore”, Enna, Italy
⁷University of Foggia, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Foggia, Italy

Physical Activity, Ketogenic Diet, and Epilepsy: A Mini-Review

Sport Mont 2021, 19(1), 109-113 | DOI: 10.26773/smj.210207

Abstract

One-third of patients with epilepsy do not respond to antiepileptic drugs and may seek complementary and alternative treatment modalities. Dietary therapies, such as the ketogenic diet (KD), the modified Atkins diet, as well as the medium-chain triglyceride and the low glycaemic index diets, have been successfully implemented with some forms of epilepsy and are growing in utilization. The KD is a high-fat, low-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that has been used for various conditions for over a century. Insights into the mechanism of action of these diets may provide more targeted interventions for patients with epilepsy. Knowledge of these mechanisms is growing and includes neuroprotective effects on oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, potassium channels in the brain, and mitochondrial function. In this review, we explain the role of physical exercise and the ketogenic diet on epilepsy.

Keywords

ketogenic diet, physical exercise, epilepsy

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