Observational studyEBioMedicine2024
Association between seizure reduction during ketogenic diet treatment of epilepsy and changes in circulatory metabolites and gut microbiota composition.
Observational study in EBioMedicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- Early Gut Microbiota and Neurodevelopmental Trajectories: Implications for Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Vulnerability-A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- From clinical practice to mechanistic insights in ketogenic diets for epilepsy.The Lancet. Neurology · 2026Review
- Ketogenic diet exacerbates DSS-induced colitis through a β-hydroxybutyrate-Thomasclavelia spiroformis-γδ17 T cell axis in mice.Nature communications · 2026Article
- The Role of Antioxidants in the Connection Between Microbiota, Neuroinflammation and Epilepsy.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Association of a Dietary Index for Gut Microbiota With Epilepsy Among US Adults Aged 40 and Over: A Cross-Sectional Study.Behavioural neurology · 2026Article
- Ciprofloxacin-induced microbiota dysbiosis triggers seizure susceptibility through the microbiota-gut-brain axis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Multi-omics reveals that genes linked to succinylation regulate the onset of epilepsy through metabolic reprogramming.Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society · 2025Article
- Potential and Challenges ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Ketogenic Diet Through a Metabolomic Lens: Biochemical Pathways, Therapeutic Applications, and Analytical Challenges.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Intestinal microbiome alterations in pediatric epilepsy: Implications for seizures and therapeutic approaches.Epilepsia open · 2025Article
- Multi-omics integration reveals gut microbiota dysbiosis and metabolic alterations of cerebrospinal fluid in children with epilepsy.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- The microbiota-gut-brain axis and central nervous system diseases: from mechanisms of pathogenesis to therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- The role of β-hydroxybutyrate testing in ketogenic metabolic therapies.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, sufficient protein, and low carbohydrate dietary therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy. The underlying mechanisms of action of the KD remain unclear. In mice, the microbiota is necessary for the anti-seizure effect and specific microbes influence circulatory levels of metabolites that are linked to seizure reduction. However, it remains unclear which changes are linked to seizure reduction in patients with epilepsy.
methodsWe analysed the serum metabolome of children with drug-resistant epilepsy (n = 14) before and after three months on KD. Metabolomic changes were correlated to the gut microbiome and treatment outcome, i.e., seizure reduction.
findingsIn this prospective observational study, we uncovered associations between microbial species and serum metabolites that correlated with seizure reduction. Plasmalogens were most strongly linked to seizure reduction and had significant positive correlations with several gut microbes (e.g., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Alistipes communis, Alistipes shahii, and Christensenella minuta) while significant negative correlations were found for five strains of Escherichia coli. Infant-type Bifidobacteria correlated negatively with other metabolites associated with seizure reduction.
interpretationThe microbes and metabolites identified here may contribute to the therapeutic effect of the KD in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. Several of these metabolites (e.g., plasmalogens) play important roles in neurobiology and may influence seizures. Based on our findings, anti-seizure therapeutic strategies could be developed involving the targeted manipulation of the gut microbiota and/or its metabolites.
fundingThis study was supported by the Swedish Brain Foundation, Margarethahemmet Society, Sunnerdahls Handikappfond, Stockholm County Council Research Funds, and Linnea & Josef Carlssons Foundation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.