Diet treatment call for epilepsy

A special high-fat diet helps to control fits in children with epilepsy, a UK trial suggests.
The number of seizures fell by a third in children on the "ketogenic" diet, where previously they had suffered fits every day despite medication.
The diet alters the body's metabolism by mimicking the effects of starvation, the researchers reported in the Lancet Neurology.
The researchers called for the diet to be more widely available on the NHS.
It is the first trial comparing the diet with routine care, even though it has been around since the 1920s.
Children are given a tailored diet very high in fat, low in carbohydrate and with controlled amounts of protein.
It is not exactly clear how it works but it seems that ketones, produced from the breakdown of fat, help to alleviate seizures.
A total of 145 children aged between two and 16 who had failed to respond to treatment with at least two anti-epileptic drugs took part in the study.
Half started the diet immediately and half waited for three months.
The number of seizures in the children on the diet fell to two-thirds of what they had been, but remained unchanged in those who had not yet started the diet, the researchers reported.
Five children in the diet group saw a seizure reduction of more than 90%.
However, there were some side-effects including constipation, vomiting, lack of energy and hunger.
Availability
Professor Helen Cross, study leader and consultant in neurology at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, said the diet had been around for a long time but had fallen out of favour because it was thought to be too difficult to stick to.
"The parents say the first two weeks are quite difficult, but then it becomes much easier because you can make foods in bulk and it especially helps if you can see the benefits from it," she said.
"We have to be sensible about it, in this study we had children who had complex epilepsy.
"If your epilepsy is easily controlled on one medication then I wouldn't advocate the diet, but if at least two drugs have failed then it should be considered."
She said national guidelines recommend the diet as a treatment option, but a shortage of dieticians meant it was often unavailable.
A spokesperson for Epilepsy Action said: "The results of this trial add valuable information to what is already known about the diet, presenting evidence that it works for some children with drug-resistant epilepsy.
"In addition to this, however, we also recognise that the ketogenic diet is not without its side-effects, and that the risks and benefits should be considered before prescribing, as with drug treatment."
She said the results would hopefully encourage wider inclusion of the diet in the management of children with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Source:BBC

Use of brain-boosting drugs reported in survey

One in five respondents to a new survey in the journal Nature say they've used drugs to boost their brain power.

Ritalin is a stimulant approved to treat attention-deficit disorder.

"We were putting our finger in the air to see what our reader response would be. And it was tremendous," said Brendan Maher, an editor with the widely read scientific publication. "What it's suggesting is there are a high percentage of adults using these drugs."

The informal, nonscientific survey, conducted online, polled 1,400 people in 60 countries. Most of the responders, the majority of whom said they worked in biology, physics, medicine or education, reported taking the drugs to improve their concentration.

The drug of choice was Ritalin; use of a similar drug, Adderall, also was reported. The stimulants are approved to treat attention-deficit disorder, but scientists say they would have a noticeable effect on almost anyone.

"It does work. We know that from lab studies," said Martha Farah, director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. "Obviously they help people with ADHD, but for many, if not all, normal people, they also enhance attention."

Other surveys have found as many as one in four college students have taken prescription stimulants, with or without doctor's orders.

All of this is risky. The drugs can cause cardiovascular problems and can lead to addiction. And no one knows much about the long-term effects.

"I sometimes call this America's uncontrolled experiment in pharmacology," Farah said.

Half of the responders in the Nature survey reported unpleasant side effects, such as headaches, anxiety and sleeping troubles. But 69 percent said the boost was worth the risk.

"People are using them even though they do feel side effects," Maher said.

How people obtain the drugs is less clear. A third of responders said they bought their drugs over the Internet. The majority said their drugs came from a pharmacist, or from a family member or friend.

When asked whether such off-label drug use should be monitored by a doctor, a surprising 23 percent of responders said no. Most thought healthy adults should be allowed to take the drugs if they wanted to, with restrictions for children. But a third also said they'd feel pressured to give the drugs to their children if other children were taking them.

"What it suggests is there is a sense of coercion. You feel a competitive nature," Maher said. "If others are taking them, you might be missing out on something."

No real evidence for 8 glasses of water

Adults have long been told drinking eight glasses of water daily is healthy, but University of Pennsylvania researchers say the evidence is thin.

So the advice goes, drinking all that water is helpful for a range of health benefits from keeping organs healthy to warding off weight gain and improving skin tone.

Dr. Dan Negoianu and Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia reviewed the published clinical studies on drinking water and found solid evidence that individuals in hot, dry climates, as well as athletes and those with certain diseases have an increased need for water. However, no data exists for average, healthy individuals.

Studies show increased water intake improves kidney function, however, the studies do not indicate any sort of clinical benefit.

Some propose that drinking more water helps fight obesity, but the researchers say studies on water and weight maintenance were inconclusive.

Headaches are often attributed to water deprivation, but there is little data to back this theory. Water has also been touted as a skin elixir, but no studies have shown any clinical benefit to skin tone from increased water intake.

The findings are published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

source: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2008/04/03/no_real_evidence_for_8_glasses_of_water/6125/