Updated Review
Published: January 22, 2024
As of January 22, 2024 we found one new case report https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1329541/full. This describes a person whose ALS progression improved by objective measures in association with starting a ketogenic diet. This changes our TOE “Cases” Grade from D to A. However, since ALS progression is known to be non-linear, with periods of stability or even improvements occurring in patients on placebos (https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000002251#:~:text=ALS%20plateaus%20and%20small%20reversals,important%2C%20and%20warrant%20further%20study.), this cannot be construed as proof of treatment effectiveness.”
Key Information
Click on any letter grade below for more info:
Mechanism Grade: B
Preclinical Trials Grade: C
Cases Grade: A
Trials Grade: U
Risks Grade: D
Published: Oct 2021
Ketogenic diets have plausible mechanisms for treating ALS. One flawed preclinical study and two PatientsLikeMe participants reported benefits; these were not independently verified. Two other PatientsLikeMe participants and one patient under
the care of an ALSUntangled investigator did not show benefits. A trial of a ketogenic diet was only able to enroll a single patient and their experience cannot be interpreted due to the lack of any control group. We hope to see another trial of a ketogenic diet in people with ALS. Until then, given the frequent side effects, we do not advise such diets for the treatment of ALS