The ketogenic diet was largely abandoned from the 1950s to the 1970s due to the easier administration of pharmaceutical anticonvulsant treatments.

“By the 1950s, pharmaceuticals were coming out. And we had many more anticonvulsant treatments. And there's no question, they work for a lot of people. That's great. And taking a pill is so much easier than doing this diet. So the diet pretty much fell out of favor.”