Implications of dietary therapy into the 21st century: conclusion to special issue.

The concept of dietary therapy for epilepsy has played an important role in the approach to the treatment of seizures for centuries--particularly with the development and utilization of the classic ketogenic diet over the past 90 years. Recently, there has been developing interest in the utilization of diet in other medical disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, traumatic brain injury, degenerative neurologic disorders, and cancer. As the utilization of dietary therapy expands, there are several issues that need to be addressed and better characterized to better understand the role of diet in the treatment of epilepsy and other disease.