Research

Hormonal

The anti-seizure effects of ketogenic diets in animal models of epilepsy and autism are mediated by specific gut bacteria (Akkermansia and Parabacteroides) that modulate the GABA/glutamate ratio in the brain.

This mechanism is primarily relevant for understanding the biological basis of KD in neurological disorders. It suggests that the gut microbiome is a key target for therapeutic intervention in epilepsy and autism, potentially allowing for microbiome-based therapies alongside or instead of strict dietary changes.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Two species of bacteria, Akkermansia and Parabacteriodes were significantly increased in mice that were fed ketogenic diets and gnotobiotic colonization with these microorganisms revealed an anti-seizure effect in germ-free mice... This fact, in turn, had the effect of increasing the ratio of GABA to glutamate in the brain of mice.
Antonio Paoli et al. · Genes · 2019

Why this rating

Based on animal studies (mice) and germ-free colonization experiments, which are mechanistic but not directly translatable to human clinical outcomes without further validation.

Source

Ketogenic Diet and Microbiota: Friends or Enemies?

Antonio Paoli et al. · Genes · 2019

DOI 10.3390/genes10070534

narrative_reviewCited 263×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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