The efficacy of low glycemic index diet on seizure frequency in pediatric patients with epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

• We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to clarify the potential impact of a low glycemic index (LGI) diet on the frequency of seizures in the pediatric population. • Our findings indicated that pooled efficacy rate for < 50 %, ≥ 50 %, > 90 % seizure reduction in epilepsy patients receiving a low glycemic index diet was 39 %, 34 %, and 19 %, respectively. • It also seems that the efficacy of this ketogenic diet to reduce seizures is greater during the intervention of less than 12 weeks. • It seems that according to the results of the subgroup, the length of the intervention period is one of the sources of high heterogeneity. Despite extensive research examining the effect of a low glycemic index (LGI) diet on the frequency of seizures in patients with epilepsy, the findings are inconclusive. Hence, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to clarify the potential effect of a low glycemic index (LGI) diet on the frequency of seizures in children. A systematic review and meta-analysis written in accordance with the PRISMA checklist was realized using a comprehensive systematic search in four electronic databases until October 2023 without time or language restrictions. A random effects model was employed to combine the data. The main outcomes were analyzed using weight mean difference (WMD) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI). In total, 13 studies met the eligible criteria and were included. The publications included in this study were published between 2005 and 2021. The duration of the interventions in the studies included in this analysis ranged from 6 to 58 weeks. Our findings indicated that the pooled efficacy rate for < 50 %, ≥ 50 %, > 90 % seizure reduction in patients with epilepsy receiving a low glycemic index diet was 39 % (95 % CI: 26, 52), 34 % (95 % CI: 23, 45), and 19 % (95 % CI: 13, 25), respectively. It seems that the efficacy of this ketogenic diet in reducing seizures is greater during a shorter intervention period than 12 weeks. This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that the low glycemia index diet can be beneficial as a treatment for epilepsy in pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]