 Long @-@ term use of the ketogenic diet in children increases the risk of slowed or stunted growth , bone fractures and kidney stones . The diet reduces levels of insulin @-@ like growth factor 1 , which is important for childhood growth . Like many anticonvulsant drugs , the ketogenic diet has an adverse effect on bone health . Many factors may be involved such as acidosis and suppressed growth hormone . About 1 in 20 children on the ketogenic diet will develop kidney stones ( compared with one in several thousand for the general population ) . A class of anticonvulsants known as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors ( topiramate , <unk> ) are known to increase the risk of kidney stones , but the combination of these anticonvulsants and the ketogenic diet does not appear to elevate the risk above that of the diet alone . The stones are treatable and do not justify discontinuation of the diet . Johns Hopkins Hospital now gives oral potassium citrate supplements to all ketogenic diet patients , resulting in a sevenfold decrease in the incidence of kidney stones . However , this empiric usage has not been tested in a prospective controlled trial . Kidney stone formation ( nephrolithiasis ) is associated with the diet for four reasons : 
