生酮饮食被认为是多种医学情况下的辅助治疗方法，例如在严重的或耐药的癫痫患者中。其使用最近因其被认为具有的通过脂肪分解和降低胰岛素水平介导的减重效果而在青少年和年轻成年人中增加。然而，仍然没有确切的指示表明生酮饮食在儿童体重减轻方面的可能用途。此方法最近也被提出用于其他类型的疾病，如遗传代谢障碍，普拉德威氏综合症以及某些特定类型的癌症。由于其脂肪，碳水化合物和蛋白质的不平衡比例，对于长期遵循生酮饮食等限制性饮食的所有患者，必须进行严格的生长和营养状况评估并评估可能的副作用。在开始任何生酮饮食之前，应考虑预防性微量营养素补充。最后，虽然生酮饮食可能短期副作用的相关文献已足够，但当在儿童时期开始时，其可能对生长和营养状况的长期影响尚不完全了解。 版权所有© 2023.由Elsevier Ltd.发表

The ketogenic diet is known to be a possible adjuvant treatment in several medical conditions, such as in patients with severe or drug-resistant forms of epilepsy. Its use has recently been increasing among adolescents and young adults due to its supposed weight-loss effect, mediated by lipolysis and lowered insulin levels. However, there are still no precise indications on the possible use of ketogenic diets in pediatric age for weight loss. This approach has also recently been proposed for other types of disorder such as inherited metabolic disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome, and some specific types of cancers. Due to its unbalanced ratio of lipids, carbohydrates and proteins, a clinical evaluation of possible side effects with a strict evaluation of growth and nutritional status is essential in all patients following a long-term restrictive diet such as the ketogenic one. The prophylactic use of micronutrients supplementation should be considered before starting any ketogenic diet. Lastly, while there is sufficient literature on possible short-term side effects of ketogenic diets, their possible long-term impact on growth and nutritional status is not yet fully understood, especially when started in pediatric age.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.