The ketogenic diet has been around for more than 100 years when it was developed for the treatment of severe epilepsy. Doctors at the time noticed that short-term starvation helped patients to control their seizures but this wasn't a safe or convenient option for everyone, particularly children.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/news-and-features/is-the-ketogenic-diet-safe-and-will-it-really-help-you-lose-weight