The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet primarily used to treat difficult-to-control epilepsy in children. This medical nutrition therapy mimics aspects of starvation by forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fuelling brain function. However, if there is very little carbohydrate in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. The diet provides just enough protein for body growth and repair, and sufficient calories to maintain the correct weight for age and height. Developed in the 1920s, the classic ketogenic diet contains a 4:1 ratio by weight of fat to combined protein and carbohydrate. This is achieved by excluding high-carbohydrate foods such as starchy fruits and vegetables, bread, pasta, grains and sugar, while increasing the consumption of foods high in fat such as cream and butter. The diet, which is closely supervised by a neurologist and a dietitian, is effective in half of the patients who try it, and very effective in a third. The mechanism by which the ketogenic diet reduces the frequency of epileptic seizures is unknown.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1608:

Emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia and his troops surprised a raiding army of the Oromo at Ebenat, reportedly killing 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 men. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susenyos_of_Ethiopia

1885:

Mahdist War: British troops defeated Mahdist Sudanese forces at the Battle of Abu Klea in Khartoum, Sudan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Abu_Klea

1893:

The Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led by Lorrin A. Thurston overthrew the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani of the Kingdom of Hawaii. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liliuokalani

1904:

Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play, The Cherry Orchard, premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre in Moscow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cherry_Orchard

1966:

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling over the Mediterranean Sea, dropping three hydrogen bombs on land near Palomares in the municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora, Andalucía, Spain; and a fourth one (pictured after its recovery) into the sea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash

2002:

Mount Nyiragongo erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the town of Goma, destroying 4,500 buildings and leaving about 120,000 people homeless. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nyiragongo

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

errhine (adj): Causing an increase in mucus within the nose, and hence causing one to sneeze http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/errhine

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We have this window of opportunity; we have a chance to make something real happen. Something possible happen, to live beyond our fear — think about that, and help us. Help lift us up, help us fight this fight to change, — transform — this country in a fundamental way.

This chance won’t come around again. --Michelle Obama http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama