How Are Ketones Harmful

What Are The Dangers Of The Ketosis Diet?

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the "Atkins" and low carb dieting thing was just coming on in a big way, there was a terrific number of idiotic claims made about the dangers of it -- many of them confusing (as the questioner points out) diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious condition, with voluntary nutritional ketosis, even though there is no relation whatever. But, leaving all that aside, some caution is in order. The diet seems to stress the adrenals. This has been noted anecdotally by many people who've followed the diet. It was also noted by Dr Wolfgang Lutz, one of the early pioneers of the diet, who personally practiced the diet for 40-odd years, as well as advocated the diet to thousands of his patients. He noted in his book on the subject ("Life Without Bread" was the title, though it was published later I believe under a different title) that some patients would suffer mild autoimmune reactions that required small doses of corticosteroids to control. This sounds like what would happen if the adrenals are failing to produce a normal amount of steroids. You can find a lot more of a mostly-anecdotal nature by searching for "ketogenic jaminet". Paul Jaminet is a popular health blogger who has written about what he perceives to be problems with the ketogenic diet, including the possibility of deficiency of mucus and other key glycoproteins. He has some scientific backing for what he is saying, but it is far from air-tight. Read and judge for yourself. You can also learn a lot from the comments below his posts. Jaminet and others have also written about the risk of kidney stones on the ketogenic diet, and this is a serious concern, albeit a rare occurence. As far as the kidney stress goes: this would I believe be easy to avert simply by taking some alkali during Continue reading >>

Ketones: Clearing Up The Confusion

Ketones, ketosis, ketoacidosis, DKA…these are words that you’ve probably heard at one point or another, and you might be wondering what they mean and if you need to worry about them at all, especially if you have diabetes. This week, we’ll explore the mysterious world of ketones, including if and how they may affect you. Ketones — what are they? Ketones are a type of acid that the body can form if there’s not enough carbohydrate to be burned for energy (yes, you do need carbs for fuel). Without enough carb, the body turns to another energy source: fat. Ketones are made in the liver from fat breakdown. This is called ketogenesis. People who don’t have diabetes can form ketones. This might occur if a person does extreme exercise, has an eating disorder, is fasting (not eating), or is following a low-carbohydrate diet. This is called ketosis and it’s a normal response to starvation. In a person who has diabetes, ketones form for the same reason (not enough carb for energy), but this often occurs because there isn’t enough insulin available to help move carb (in the form of glucose) from the bloodstream to the cells to be used for energy. Again, the body scrambles to find an alternate fuel source in the form of fat. You might be thinking that it’s a good thing to burn fat for fuel. However, for someone who has diabetes, ketosis can quickly become dangerous if it occurs due to a continued lack of insulin (the presence of ketones along with “normal” blood sugar levels is not necessarily a cause for concern). In the absence of insulin (which can occur if someone doesn’t take their insulin or perhaps uses an insulin pump and the pump has a malfunction, for example), fat cells continue to release fat into the circulation; the liver then continues to churn Continue reading >>

Would You Eat Food That Was Genetically Modified?

Not only do I eat GMOs, I willingly inject myself with GMOs 5–8 times a day! It is my secret to a long life. “What?” I can hear your gasping disbelief from here. “Why would you do something so harmful to yourself? Don't you realize how BAD GMOS are?” I have Type 1 diabetes. For those of you who don't know, it is an autoimmune disease that causes the islet cells of the pancreas (they are responsible for producing insulin) to die off. When your body cannot produce its own insulin, you must inject man made insulin several times a day. If you don't, your blood glucose levels will rise to dangerous levels and your blood chemistry goes wonky (scientific medical term). Without insulin, your blood begins burning fat and muscle for fuel instead of carbs. The acidic byproduct is called ketones. You may have heard of low-carb diets that suggest you check your urine for ketones and applaud you if you manage to get a pink square on the ketone strip. However, with Type 1, that pink square is terrifying. It means you are going into ketoacidosis, which is a life threatening emergency. Without treatment, you will die. Quickly. If you have Type 1 diabetes (only loosely related to Type 2 diabetes, which is what most people recognize as diabetes) you must be on insulin. No matter how healthy your diet. No matter how few carbs you eat. No matter how thin and fit you are. You must be on insulin. Commercially produced insulin used to be made from cows and pigs. Now it is created in a lab, by genetically modifying yeast spores. Lab created insulin is the perfect example of a genetically modified organism. Without GMOS, I would be dead within a week or two. Yes, I allow GMOS into my body. Gladly. Continue reading >>

Will It Be Harmful For Our Brain If We Stop Eating Sugar (i.e. Sugar Free Diet)?

No. There is absolutely no biological need for sugar in your diet. In fact, the only carbohydrate that is an absolute “need” for your body is fiber. Your body can create any needed from fats and proteins. This is called gluconeogenesis. Your body will make any needed carbohydrates. The Institute of Medicine has stated: "The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed." Continue reading >>

How Are Ketone Bodies Found In The Urine Of Diabetic People?

Your body uses glucose as the metabolism fuel, in most organs. The brain thinks that it is a king and refuses to use any other fuel, only glucose. Thus, your whole organism need to maintain glucose available, for everyone to use. Diabetic people (Type I or II), or people that are starving (0% glucose input from feeding) need to generate glucose from some source. Our body have the amazing capacity to convert almost anything in glucose, and it will do this when needed: fat and proteins can be converted to glucose. Everyday, in the time that you are hungry and do not feed yet, your body is already making new glucose from fat, to maitain glucose levels adequate. In emergency situations, when the body can not USE glucose, for whatever reason, your body will generate other molecules to fuel the metabolism, and these are the ketone bodies. Ketone bodies can be used for most organs, including the brain, but they are not very cool: they do not produce as many energy as glucose does, and they change the blood pH and do other alterations that can harm your body. Usually, ketoacidosis (condition in that are high levels of ketone bodies in circulation) is a condition not very harmful, but it cannot be for much longer, I mean, you can be in ketoacidosis for some days, but you can not be in ketoacidosis for a month. That would be risky to your health. Diabetic people can not use glucose properly, because or they don't produce insulin (necessary for cells to uptake glucose from blood stream) or the cells are resistant to insulin (type II diabetes). Therefore, the body understands that do not have glucose (even the glucose being there, in the blood). Thus, will begin to produce ketone bodies. And ketone bodies are water soluble and are excreted in urine. Is is important to note that not Continue reading >>

After A Ketogenic Diet, How Do Ketone Bodies Deposit In Our Cells Such As Neurons And Cause Acidosis And Harm?

DONT CONFUSE DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS AND DIETARY KETOSIS Diabetic patients know that the detection in their urine of the ketone bodies is a danger signal that their diabetes is poorly controlled. Indeed, in severely uncontrolled diabetes, if the ketone bodies are produced in massive supranormal quantities, they are associated with ketoacidosis . In this life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus, the acids 3-hydroxybutyric acid and acetoacetic acid are produced rapidly, causing high concentrations of protons, which overwhelm the body’s acid-base buffering system. This happens because their metabolism is normally geard to burn glucose because of the high carb diet and resulting elevated insulin and glucose in the blood. When the cells enter severe starvation due to insulin resistance when no glucose enters the cells, it suddenly switch to burning protein and stored fats in a uncontrolled manner. However, during very low carbohydrate intake, the regulated and controlled production of ketone bodies causes a harmless physiological state known as dietary ketosis. In ketosis, the blood pH remains buffered within normal limits. There is no danger of ketoacidosis as the ketones produced from burning fat is itself used as fuel by the brain for more than half the energy it needs, and the body can produce all the glucose it needs from health natural fats and proteins, called gluconeogenesis, and your body now have full control of blood glucose levels as a result. In fact, the dietary reference handbook for dietitians state very clearly on p275 that the carbohydrate requirement for humans is ZERO and harmless, provided that enough protein and healthy natural fats are consumed. Continue reading >>

Urine Tests For Diabetes: Glucose Levels And Ketones

The human body primarily runs on glucose. When your body is low on glucose, or if you have diabetes and don’t have enough insulin to help your cells absorb the glucose, your body starts breaking down fats for energy. Ketones (chemically known as ketone bodies) are byproducts of the breakdown of fatty acids. The breakdown of fat for fuel and the creation of ketones is a normal process for everyone. In a person without diabetes, insulin, glucagon, and other hormones prevent ketone levels in the blood from getting too high. However, people with diabetes are at risk for ketone buildup in their blood. If left untreated, people with type 1 diabetes are at risk for developing a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). While rare, it’s possible for people with type 2 diabetes to experience DKA in certain circumstances as well. If you have diabetes, you need to be especially aware of the symptoms that having too many ketones in your body can cause. These include: If you don’t get treatment, the symptoms can progress to: a fruity breath odor stomach pain trouble breathing You should always seek immediate medical attention if your ketone levels are high. Testing your blood or urine to measure your ketone levels can all be done at home. At-home testing kits are available for both types of tests, although urine testing continues to be more common. Urine tests are available without a prescription at most drugstores, or you can buy them online. You should test your urine or blood for ketones when any of the following occurs: Your blood sugar is higher than 240 mg/dL. You feel sick or nauseated, regardless of your blood sugar reading. To perform a urine test, you urinate into a clean container and dip the test strip into the urine. For a child who isn’t potty-trained, a pa Continue reading >>