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Could a High-Fat diet replace drugs for kids with absence seizures?

NCT ID NCT04274179

Disease control Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether a modified Atkins diet (low carb, high fat) can control seizures in children aged 3-12 with newly diagnosed absence epilepsy, without using standard medications. Forty children will be enrolled and compared to a group whose parents chose medication instead. The goal is to see if the diet is a feasible and effective first-line treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Modified Atkins diet (low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein)
What this could lead to
If successful, this diet could offer a drug-free option to control seizures in children newly diagnosed with absence epilepsy.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 40 participants, and the diet is restrictive, which may be hard for children to follow long-term. It may not work as well as standard medications.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 3

Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Aug 2020

Expected to finish

May 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

3 to 12 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Children ages 3-12 years at seizure onset with classic childhood absence epilepsy clinically. * Normal intellect or mild disability * EEG with confirmed 3/second spike-wave discharges, usually with hyperventilation * Daily reported absence seizures. * Generalized convulsions allowed Exclusion Criteria: * Previous treatment with any anticonvulsant drug * Previous use of a ketogenic dietary therapy for epilepsy or any other condition * Glut1 deficiency syndrome * Metabolic disorder known that would preclude dietary therapy * Dietary restrictions for which a high fat, low carbohydrate diet would be precluded. * Prior history of epilepsy (febrile seizures allowed) * Unwilling to consent to study procedures or return for visits

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

childhood absence epilepsy Epilepsy, Absence

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Absence epilepsy Epilepsy, absence Ketogenic dieting

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Johns Hopkins Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States

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