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The [[Ketogenic Diet]] may have benefits for a number of medical conditions, many of them serious or life threatening. The research for the use of the Ketogenic Diet in epilepsy is well established, but for other illnesses it is still emerging.{{Skeleton}}However, the Ketogenic Diet is believed to have a number of benefits, especially in cancer<ref name="Seyfried-2011"/> and neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's<ref name="Gasior-2006"/>.
=Epilepsy=
''Main article: [[Ketogenic Diets for Epilepsy]]''
''Main article: [[Ketogenic Diets for Cancer]]''
The Ketogenic Diet may help with the treatment of cancer, including brain tumors<ref name="Seyfried-2011"/>. Currently most of the available research is based on animal studies, with just a few human case studies. However, the research to date looks promising.
=Hypoxia, including Stroke=
There are a number of medical conditions that reduce the supply of oxygen (hypoxia), and the Ketogenic Diet may reduce the damage that occurs as a result. ''' '''
The effect of the ketogenic diet on heart disease risk is unclear. There are some concerns that the ketogenic diet raises blood lipids, and this in turn may increase the risk for heart disease. However, some studies have shown that the ketogenic diet improves markers associated with the risk of heart disease ([http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/7/1879.short http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/7/1879.short]).
=Alzheimer's disease (AD)=
AD is a degenerative neurological condition characterized by memory loss and there is currently no treatment. Models of Alzheimer's disease (and Parkinson's) suggest that 4 mmol/L of BOHB can protect neurons and may play a therapeutic role<ref name="Kashiwaya-2000"/>. There is some evidence that a ketogenic diet may not only improve the symptoms of AD<ref name="KrikorianShidler2012"/>, but may also modify the disease activity itself. The These benefits of the ketogenic diet may also have benefits for apply to other neurological conditions involving neuron death. There is evidence that raising Ketone levels through MCT supplementation without carbohydrate restriction may also improve memory function in AD sufferers<ref name="RegerHenderson2004"/>. In a study of 152 subjects with mild to moderate AD, half were given an [[MCT]] based treatment over a period of 90 days and had significantly improved cognitive scores compared with the placebo control group<ref name="HendersonVogel2009"/>. A drug called Axona was introduced in 2009 as an FDA approved "medical food" and it consists of a an MCT oil (caprylic acid). There is also some evidence that a higher carbohydrate intake is associated with poorer memory, and increased aberrant motor behavior in subjects with probable AD<ref name="Young-2005"/>.
=Parkinson's disease=
Parkinson's disease appears to generally result from an acquired defect in the mitochondria rather than genetic causes<ref name="Veech-2000"/>. Animal studies and anecdotal reports suggest that the ketogenic diet may reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but there are no published human studies. It is possible to treat Parkinson's disease for a time with dopamine , but free radical damage lessens the effectiveness of this therapy over time<ref name="Vanitallie-2005"/>. Models of Parkinson's disease (and Alzheimer's) suggest that 4 mmol/L of BOHB can protect neurons and may play a therapeutic role<ref name="Kashiwaya-2000"/>. A 28 day study of five Parkinson's patients on the Ketogenic Diet with blood BOHB levels averaging 6.6 mmol/L (range 4.8 to 8.9) had an average decrease in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores of 43.4% (range 21% to 81%), but the study had too few subjects and no controls, so conclusions could be drawn about effectiveness<ref name="Vanitallie-2005"/>.
=Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)=
Like Parkinson's disease, there is currently only animal and anecdotal reports of success, but human studies are under way.
<ref name="KrikorianShidler2012">Robert Krikorian, Marcelle D. Shidler, Krista Dangelo, Sarah C. Couch, Stephen C. Benoit, Deborah J. Clegg, Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment, Neurobiology of Aging, volume 33, issue 2, 2012, pages 425.e19–425.e27, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/01974580 01974580], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.10.006 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.10.006]</ref>
<ref name="RegerHenderson2004">Mark A. Reger, Samuel T. Henderson, Cathy Hale, Brenna Cholerton, Laura D. Baker, G.S. Watson, Karen Hyde, Darla Chapman, Suzanne Craft, Effects of β-hydroxybutyrate on cognition in memory-impaired adults, Neurobiology of Aging, volume 25, issue 3, 2004, pages 311–314, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/01974580 01974580], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0197-4580(03)00087-3 10.1016/S0197-4580(03)00087-3]</ref>
<ref name="Vanitallie-2005"> TB. Vanitallie, C. Nonas, A. Di Rocco, K. Boyar, K. Hyams, SB. Heymsfield, Treatment of Parkinson disease with diet-induced hyperketonemia: a feasibility study., Neurology, volume 64, issue 4, pages 728-30, Feb 2005, doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/01.WNL.0000152046.11390.45 10.1212/01.WNL.0000152046.11390.45], PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15728303 15728303]</ref>
<ref name="Kashiwaya-2000"> Y. Kashiwaya, T. Takeshima, N. Mori, K. Nakashima, K. Clarke, RL. Veech, D-beta-hydroxybutyrate protects neurons in models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, volume 97, issue 10, pages 5440-4, May 2000, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10805800 10805800]</ref>
<ref name="Veech-2000"> GA. Veech, J. Dennis, PM. Keeney, CP. Fall, RH. Swerdlow, WD. Parker, JP. Bennett, Disrupted mitochondrial electron transport function increases expression of anti-apoptotic bcl-2 and bcl-X(L) proteins in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma and in Parkinson disease cybrid cells through oxidative stress., J Neurosci Res, volume 61, issue 6, pages 693-700, Sep 2000, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10972966 10972966]</ref>
<ref name="Young-2005"> KW. Young, CE. Greenwood, R. van Reekum, MA. Binns, A randomized, crossover trial of high-carbohydrate foods in nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease: associations among intervention response, body mass index, and behavioral and cognitive function., J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, volume 60, issue 8, pages 1039-45, Aug 2005, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16127110 16127110]</ref>
<ref name="Gasior-2006"> M. Gasior, MA. Rogawski, AL. Hartman, Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet., Behav Pharmacol, volume 17, issue 5-6, pages 431-9, Sep 2006, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16940764 16940764]</ref>
<ref name="Seyfried-2011">TN. Seyfried, MA. Kiebish, J. Marsh, LM. Shelton, LC. Huysentruyt, P. Mukherjee, Metabolic management of brain cancer., Biochim Biophys Acta, volume 1807, issue 6, pages 577-94, Jun 2011, doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbabio.2010.08.009 10.1016/j.bbabio.2010.08.009], PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20804725 20804725]</ref>
<ref name="HendersonVogel2009">Samuel T Henderson, Janet L Vogel, Linda J Barr, Fiona Garvin, Julie J Jones, Lauren C Costantini, Study of the ketogenic agent AC-1202 in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial, Nutrition & Metabolism, volume 6, issue 1, 2009, pages 31, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/1743-7075 1743-7075], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-6-31 10.1186/1743-7075-6-31]</ref>
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