A low-carbohydrate diet improves daytime sleep in patients with narcolepsy. People with narcolepsy fall asleep involuntarily during the daytime, and this can dangerous, such as while driving. Researchers from the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA, examined the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on daytime sleepiness and other symptoms in nine patients with narcolepsy. The participants were asked to follow diet guidelines based on the popular Atkins approach. Their symptoms were assessed when the study began and after 2, 4, and 8 weeks, using three standard sleepiness tests. One patient withdrew from the study due to an inability to adhere to the diet. In the remaining subjects, one of the tests showed a significant improvement in sleepiness, whereas the others did not. Temporary side effects were observed in four patients. These included headache, leg cramps, irritability, and difficulty in concentrating. Despite the encouraging findings, additional studies are needed to determine if the observed reduction in sleepiness was actually due to the low-carbohydrate diet or some other factor.
Neurology,
June 2004