D. Zakrzewski, JS. Woźniak, J. Orłowska, K. Łukasiński, K. Renachowska, W. Kitewska, W. Kubziakowska, A. Sawicka, M. Zawadzka, et al. (2025). Quality assessment of online information on the use of the ketogenic diet in Epilepsy: A comparative analysis of English and Polish sources. Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 171, 110622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2025.110622

PubMed 40714717

[Abstract]
BACKGROUND: The Internet serves as an extensive database with easy access to diverse content, positioning it as an important source of medical information today. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and credibility of information available online regarding the use of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of epilepsy.

METHODOLOGY: The Chrome browser and Google search engine were used to search for "ketogenic diet epilepsy" (for English texts) and "dieta ketogenna padaczka" (for Polish texts). The initial database contained 200 articles; however, after applying the exclusion criteria, a total of 151 texts were considered eligible for analysis (81 in Polish and 70 in English). The articles were evaluated using the DISCERN scale and a set of questions developed by the researchers, focusing on critical information related to the topic.

RESULTS: The analysis showed that most of the texts were of medium (38.27% of the Polish articles and 31.43% of the English texts) or poor (20.99% of the Polish texts and 30.00% of the English articles) reliability. The average DISCERN score across all texts was 45.72 points, with an average score per question of 2.86. Furthermore, the analysis of the answers to the researcher's questions revealed a lack of essential information in both language groups. The most frequently mentioned topic in both Polish and English articles was the complete cessation of epileptic seizures following the ketogenic diet. At the same time, the highest percentage of correct answers (100%) was recorded for eight questions in the English texts and five questions in the Polish texts. The study also compared the quality of the content based on language, although there were no statistically significant differences between the groups.

CONCLUSION: The internet provides moderate quality information about the ketogenic diet in epilepsy treatment, significant improvements are still needed, especially on medical information portals.