Daily potassium citrate may prevent seizure patients on high-fat diet from kidney stones.Byline: ANI Washington, July 22 (ANI): Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center say that children on the high-fat ketogenic diet ketogenic diet n. A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that includes normal amounts of protein. to control epileptic seizures can be prevented from the excruciatingly painful kidney stones Kidney Stones Definition Kidney stones are solid accumulations of material that form in the tubal system of the kidney. Kidney stones cause problems when they block the flow of urine through or out of the kidney. , which the diet may sometimes cause, by giving them a daily supplement of potassium citrate the day they start the diet. "We can confidently say this is a safe and powerful way to prevent kidney stones, and it should become part of standard therapy in all ketogenic ketogenic forming or capable of being converted into ketone bodies. ketogenic diet one containing large amounts of fat, with minimal amounts of protein and carbohydrate. The object of such a diet is to produce ketosis. dieters, not just those who already show elevated urine calcium levels. If you wait, it might be too late," says senior investigator Dr. Eric Kossoff, a pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. neurologist at Hopkins Children's. The ketogenic diet is believed to work by initiating biochemical changes biochemical changes (bī·ō·keˈmik· that eliminate seizure-triggering short circuits in the brain's signalling system. It is given to many children whose seizures do not respond to medications. However, the diet, which consists of high-fat foods with very few carbohydrates, causes a build-up of calcium in the urine and the formation of kidney stones in about 6 percent of those on it. The researchers have revealed that two years after the children subjects had adopted the preventive treatment preventive treatment n. See prophylactic treatment. with potassium citrate, incidences of one major side effect of the diet reduced, allowing more children to remain on the diet for longer. Potassium citrate taken twice daily, either as powder sprinkled on food or dissolved in water, is believed to inhibit stone formation. The study involved301 children treated for epilepsy with the ketogenic diet at Hopkins Children's, and it showed that those who got potassium citrate twice daily were seven times less likely to develop kidney stones. Although rarely serious, kidney stones can cause significant pain, along with kidney and urinary tract infections, and may require surgery. A report on the work appears in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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