Background: 30 % of patients with epilepsy have recurrent drug-resistent seizures. Some children with catastrophic epilepsy have responded well to a ketogenic diet. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are at least partly responsible for the anticonvulsive effect of this diet and could perhaps be used to treat epilepsy.
Material and methods: The paper is based on literature (published before June 2008) retrieved through a non-systematic search of the Cochrane and PubMed databases. The following search words were used: epilepsy, polyunsaturated fatty acids, clinical trials, ketogen diet, and treatment. Articles focusing on clinical aspects were selected.
Results and interpretation: Articles on clinical studies and laboratory research were retrieved from Pubmed, while studies on ketogen diet were retrieved from Cochrane. Animal studies show that increased intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids can reduce the likelihood of epileptic seizures through various biochemical mechanisms. However, there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that polyunsaturated fatty acids have antiepileptic effects in people with epilepsy. More research is needed before polyunsaturated fatty acids can be presented as a treatment option for epilepsy.