If your dog has epilepsy, you’ve probably come across a range of treatment options, from medications to diet changes. One dietary approach that’s been shown to help with epilepsy in humans—and is gaining attention for dogs—is the ketogenic diet. But how exactly does this high-fat diet affect your dog’s brain, and how could it help control seizures?
In this post, we’ll take a look at why ketogenic diets are the best food for dogs with seizures, and explain how it works, particularly in relation to glutamate, a key chemical in the brain. We’ll also explore how the diet helps balance other important brain chemicals to reduce the chance of seizures.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet (often called the "keto diet") is a special eating plan that’s high in fats, low in carbohydrates (like sugars), and moderate in protein. Normally, the body uses glucose (sugar) from carbohydrates for energy. But on a keto diet, because you’re eating very few carbs, your body switches to using fat for fuel. When this happens, the liver produces ketones from fat, and these ketones become the brain’s main energy source instead of glucose.
This shift in how the body uses energy doesn’t just help with weight loss—it also changes how the brain handles key chemicals, particularly glutamate, which can be involved in triggering seizures.
How Does the Ketogenic Diet Help With Seizures?
One of the main ways the ketogenic diet helps with epilepsy is by balancing two key brain chemicals: glutamate and GABA.
Glutamate is a chemical in the brain that makes brain cells more active. You can think of it as the “on switch” for brain signals. However, too much glutamate can cause overexcitement in the brain, which is often linked to seizures.
GABA, on the other hand, works as the “off switch”. It calms the brain down, stopping brain cells from firing too much and preventing overstimulation.
In a healthy brain, there’s a balance between these two chemicals. But in epilepsy, too much glutamate can overstimulate the brain, leading to seizures. The ketogenic diet helps restore this balance by lowering glutamate levels and increasing GABA. Here’s how it works.
1. Turning Glutamate Into GABA
Normally, the brain needs both glutamate and GABA to function properly. But in epilepsy, the brain often has too much glutamate, and not enough GABA to calm things down. One of the key effects of the ketogenic diet is that it helps the brain convert more glutamate into GABA.
This is important because it means there’s less glutamate around to overstimulate the brain and more GABA to help keep the brain calm. Researchers have found that the ketones produced by the ketogenic diet speed up this process, making the conversion from glutamate to GABA happen more efficiently. This shift helps to balance out brain activity and makes seizures less likely to happen.
2. Clearing Away Excess Glutamate
Another important way the ketogenic diet helps is by making the brain more efficient at clearing away excess glutamate. Normally, the brain uses special cells, called astrocytes, to remove extra glutamate and recycle it. When too much glutamate builds up, it can overstimulate the brain, leading to seizures.
The ketogenic diet makes astrocytes work harder and faster to clear out excess glutamate, reducing the risk of glutamate overload. This helps keep the brain in a more balanced state, where it’s less likely to have a seizure.
3. Shifting the Balance in Favour of GABA
The ketogenic diet doesn’t just lower glutamate levels—it also helps the brain produce more GABA. Under normal conditions, some glutamate is turned into aspartate, another chemical that can make brain cells more excitable. But on a keto diet, the brain shifts away from making aspartate and directs more glutamate toward producing GABA instead.
This further tips the balance toward calmness and stability in the brain, reducing the chances of seizures by keeping brain activity under control.
4. Protecting the Brain From Damage
In addition to balancing glutamate and GABA, the ketogenic diet helps protect the brain from damage caused by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress happens when harmful molecules, called free radicals, build up in the brain and damage brain cells. Seizures themselves can cause this kind of damage, which makes future seizures more likely.
Ketones, which are produced during ketosis, have been shown to reduce the production of free radicals, helping to protect brain cells from damage. By lowering oxidative stress, the ketogenic diet can help keep the brain healthier and more resilient against seizures.
5. Boosting Brain Energy
The brain needs a constant supply of energy to function properly, and the ketogenic diet helps provide that energy more efficiently. Normally, the brain relies on glucose for energy, but glucose isn’t always the most efficient fuel source, especially during seizures.
Ketones, on the other hand, provide a cleaner and more efficient energy source for the brain. This means that brain cells can produce energy with less waste and less oxidative stress. This improved energy production helps the brain function better and reduces the risk of seizures caused by overstimulation.
6. Helping Brain Cells Stay Stable
The ketogenic diet also helps keep brain cells more stable. When brain cells are overstimulated, they fire off too many signals, which can trigger a seizure. Ketones help brain cells stay stable by influencing certain channels in the brain (called potassium ATP channels), which help maintain the electrical balance of cells.
When these channels are activated, they make the brain cells less likely to fire uncontrollably. This effect, combined with the lower levels of glutamate and higher levels of GABA, helps create a more stable brain environment that’s less prone to seizures.
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Understanding Glutamate in Meat: Should You Be Concerned?
For some people, the idea of a low-glutamate diet can raise concerns about whether meat, a key part of the ketogenic diet, is safe to feed their dog. There is often a misconception or concern about certain meats from specific animals being "high in glutamate" and risky for their dogs. It’s true that glutamate is naturally found in many protein-rich foods, including meats, but there’s an important distinction to understand.
When people worry about high glutamate levels in food, they are often concerned about free glutamate, which is glutamate that’s not bound to proteins. Free glutamate is rapidly absorbed by the body and may quickly increase glutamate levels in the brain, which has been theorised to be a concern for those with epilepsy. However, whole, unprocessed meats contain bound glutamate, which is tied to proteins and is released much more slowly during digestion. This means it doesn’t cause a sudden spike in brain glutamate levels like processed foods can, removing any potential concern around glutamate. In fact, low-glutamate diets suggest having high quality, unprocessed whole meat and vegetables as a large base of the diet.
The real concern comes from processed meats—like sausages, deli meats, or foods with added flavour enhancers, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG). These processed meats often contain higher levels of free glutamate, which might increase excitatory brain activity and potentially trigger seizures. Other potential concerns in diet include gluten, aged dairy products, soy, and corn, especially when these ingredients are used in processed forms found in many of our food products.
In contrast, high-quality, fresh meats are a safe and important part of the ketogenic diet for dogs with epilepsy. Not only do they provide the protein and fat necessary for ketosis, but the ketogenic diet also helps regulate glutamate levels by converting it into GABA, calming brain activity. So, if you're concerned about glutamate, focus on feeding your dog whole, unprocessed meats—not only are they a great fit for the keto diet, but they also avoid the risks associated with processed foods.
Is the Ketogenic Diet Right for Your Dog?
The ketogenic diet could be a helpful addition to your dog’s epilepsy treatment plan, especially if your dog’s seizures are not fully controlled by medication alone. However, it’s important to work closely with your vet to make sure the diet is safe and balanced for your dog’s specific needs. Certain dogs with preexisting conditions such as pancreatitis may not be able to follow this diet, so it is always best to check with your vet.
In addition to a keto diet, you can boost ketosis by introducing Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are quickly turned into ketones by the liver and can provide many of the benefits of ketosis without the need for a strict low-carbohydrate diet.
In Summary Keto Diets are the Best Food for Dogs with Seizures
The ketogenic diet offers a unique way to help manage epilepsy by changing how the brain uses energy and balancing key brain chemicals like glutamate and GABA. By reducing glutamate levels, increasing GABA, and protecting the brain from damage, the ketogenic diet helps create a more stable brain environment that’s less likely to trigger seizures.
If your dog suffers from epilepsy, especially if they have drug-resistant seizures, the ketogenic diet—alone or in combination with an MCT-enriched diet—is worth exploring with your vet.
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