Scientists have discovered that children who take nutritional supplements with potassium citrate while on the ketogenic diet to control epilepsy may avoid developing kidney problems.

The ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates and is sometimes prescribed to children who do not respond well to medications. However, it can lead to painful kidney stones as a result of a buildup of calcium in the urine.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center adopted the supplementation approach two years ago, and found more patients can remain on the diet for longer periods of time.

“We can confidently say this is a safe and powerful way to prevent kidney stones, and it should become part of standard therapy in all ketogenic dieters, not just those who already show elevated urine calcium levels,” says senior investigator Dr. Eric Kossoff, a pediatric neurologist at Hopkins Children’s.

Epilepsy produces seizures resulting from a strong surge of electrical activity in the brain and affects a variety of mental and physical functions. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, almost 3 million people in the U.S. suffer from the condition, and some 200,000 new cases of seizure disorders and epilepsy are diagnosed each year.