#78 The Keto Series (Part 1 of 2): What is the Ketogenic Diet, with Sue Wood

Susan Wood has worked as a UK registered dietitian for over 35 years, predominantly in the NHS, treating a wide range of paediatric and adult conditions. In 2008, the referral of one young adult for the dietary management of drug resistant epilepsy sparked her interest in ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) and since then she has been pioneering the development of adult treatment protocols in the UK and raising the awareness of dietitians and adult neurologists to the potential that KDT can offer to adults. 

In 2009 she started to work alongside the Matthews Friends Charity offering support to adults and their neurology teams seeking treatment. Sue continues to oversee the treatment of adults & children with drug resistant epilepsy and mentors NHS teams keen to explore KDT use in adults. She has recently co-authored reports on; the brain tumour patient experience of the use of KDT and the first international recommendations for the management of adults treated with ketogenic diet therapies. She is a member of the UK based Ketogenic Dietitians Research Network (KDRN) and a visiting lecturer at Surrey University.

In today’s pod we talk about:

• What the ketogenic diet entails
• The history of KD therapy
• Myths and misinformation about the ketogenic diet 
• The therapeutic utility of KD in epilepsy, cancer and metabolic disorders
• The mechanism of KD
• The biochemical changes that the ketogenic fuel-switch offers
• From the plate to the petri dish, we need more understanding
• The adverse effects of KD
• The future of research
• Patient resources and support networks

Do check out The Doctor's Kitchen website for full show notes and social media links for this episode

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