Epilepsia
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We sought to investigate mortality risk in an adult cohort with newly diagnosed unprovoked epileptic seizures. ⋯ There is increased mortality risk in an adult cohort with newly diagnosed unprovoked epileptic seizures. This increase is found in symptomatic patients, young patients, and during the first 2 years after the diagnosis.
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Fat is the major component of the ketogenic diet (KD), yet no studies have examined whether the type of fat used in the diet can be optimized to provide additional benefits. The purpose of the present experiments was to compare the efficiency of different fats in inducing ketosis and affording seizure resistance. ⋯ Seizure protection with the versions of the KD did not improve with the higher level of ketosis. The focus of the KD improvement, therefore, is not the achievement of higher ketosis per se but rather designing a diet that provides steady ketosis, exploits advantages of certain fats for neurological development or seizure protection via a nonketogenic mechanism, and is nutritionally balanced.