2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Ketones are a product of fat breakdown. Carbohydrates, in the form of glucose, are usually the body's main source of fuel, but when you don't have enough glucose, they become fat for energy. As the body oxidizes fats, ketones are produced in the liver.
Although this can happen when a person does not get enough carbohydrates (as in the ketodiet), the condition also occurs when the body does not produce insulin, as in type 1 diabetes.
If you don't have enough insulin in your blood, your body thinks it's starving, explains Nestors Nicholas Matiudakis, clinical director of the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Hopkins Medical School. Sugar levels will rise in the blood, but without insulin, it cannot be removed from the blood and used as an energy source.
So, your body breaks down fats, which leads to the formation of acidic ketones in the blood. That's why people who are on a ketodiet test for ketones have elevated ketone levels; which is a sign that their bodies have begun to break down fats for energy and this can eventually cause weight loss.
But for people with diabetes, getting into ketosis is dangerous. If left untreated, it can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be fatal.
The body signs that you need to be tested for ketones
The symptoms of high ketone levels are a bit vague. "If you have type 1 diabetes and feel tired, get tested for ketones," said Dr. Kumar, medical director of the American Obesity Prevention Board. If you have any of the following symptoms, check your ketone levels:
Weakness or fatigue;
Nausea or vomiting;
Excessive thirst and / or dry mouth;
Frequent urination;
Confusion;
Bad breath;
Difficulty breathing.
Also test for ketones if your blood sugar is more than 240 mg / dl for several hours. Illness, stress and infection can cause your body to produce more ketones, so check these situations as well.
