thumb|alt=A test strip is compared with a colour chart that indicates the degree of ketonuria.|Testing for [[ketonuria|ketone bodies in urine]]
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate dietary therapy that in conventional medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is important in fueling brain function. However, if only a little carbohydrate remains in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies, the latter passing into the brain and replacing glucose as an energy source. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood (a state called ketosis) eventually lowers the frequency of epileptic seizures. Few adverse effects have been reported, though cholesterol is increased and the diet has not been studied long term.
See also
- List of diets
- Very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet