 The ketogenic diet is a high @-@ fat , adequate @-@ protein , low @-@ carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult @-@ to @-@ control ( refractory ) epilepsy in children . The diet forces 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 fueling 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 . An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood , a state known as ketosis , leads to a reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures . 
