The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 28 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Application of a Ketogenic Diet in Children With Autistic Behavior: Pilot Study
Abstract
A pilot prospective follow-up study of the role of the ketogenic diet was carried out on 30 children, aged between 4 and 10 years, with autistic behavior. The diet was applied for 6 months, with continuous administration for 4 weeks, interrupted by 2-week diet-free intervals. Seven patients could not tolerate the diet, whereas five other patients adhered to the diet for 1 to 2 months and then discontinued it. Of the remaining group who adhered to the diet, 18 of 30 children (60%), improvement was recorded in several parameters and in accordance with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Significant improvement (> 12 units of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale) was recorded in two patients (pre-Scale: 35.00 +/- 1.41[mean +/- SD]), average improvement (> 8-12 units) in eight patients (pre-Scale: 41.88 +/- 3.14[mean +/- SD]), and minor improvement (2-8 units) in eight patients (pre-Scale: 45.25 +/- 2.76 [mean +/- SD]). Although these data are very preliminary, there is some evidence that the ketogenic diet may be used in autistic behavior as an additional or alternative therapy.
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“The administration of KD to individuals with ASD underlined positive effects especially for mild and moderate cases and some reports of improvements in seizure symptoms and behavioral deficits [84,107].”
From Autism, Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Modulation of Gut Microbiota by Nutritional Interventions (2019) · cites this paper as [107]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Evangeliou, A., Vlachonikolis, I., Mihailidou, H., Spilioti, M., Skarpalezou, A., Makaronas, N., Prokopiou, A., Christodoulou, P., Liapi-Adamidou, G., Helidonis, E., Sbyrakis, S., & Smeitink, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Crete (GR)
- Children's Hospital Agia Sophia (GR)
- Center of Mental Health, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Center of Mental Health, Chania, Crete, Greece
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Corresponding author
- Evangeliou, Athanasios
- Venue
- Journal of Child Neurology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2003-02
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 113-118
- ISSN
- 0883-0738 (ISSN-L)
- 1708-8283
- OpenAlex
- W1966556786
- Cited by
- 279
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 1.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Child Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Diet and metabolism studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Keywords
- ketogenic diet, autism spectrum disorder, autistic behavior, dietary therapy, Childhood Autism Rating Scale, dietary adherence, children, complementary and alternative medicine
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Child, Child, Preschool, Dietary Carbohydrates, Dietary Proteins, Female, Humans, Ketone Bodies, Male, Pilot Projects, Severity of Illness Index, Treatment Outcome
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