Why Does Diabetes Cause Ketosis?
In diabetes due to the insulin deficiency there is increased hepatic gluconeogenesis and lipolysis And this lipolysis inturn increases free fatty acids. Now you know that as insulin is deficient in diabetes glucose cant be utilised as a energy source. So to get the energy an alternative source of these free fatty acids are used. End ketones being the end product of this fatty acid metabolism it gets accumulated. Initially it causes ketonemia(increased ketone bodies in blood) but this cycle keeps on going at ketoacidosis occurs. P.S- I just tried to simplify the answer,the exact mechanism is complex as there are lot of steps involved in it. Continue reading >>
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 >>
Is Going In And Out Of Ketosis Bad?
In the earlier stages of adaptation going into ketosis may feel bad and going out may stop your progress for a fair while, so is to be avoided if all possible IMHO. Eventually once properly adapted you should have a lot more metabolic flexibility and will more readily switch. At that point you should mostly not notice anything anymore. Apart from how it feels, it is IMHO obviously not bad for you to switch energy pathways as conditions demand, that’s just part of how your metabolism works to help ensure you’re properly fuelled. According to Dr. Colin Champ, oncologist and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, for weight loss in someone who doesn’t have much to lose, periodic ketosis for a couple days seems to work. For others with a lot of weight to lose and/or those that do poorly with carbohydrates, the diet may need to be maintained for several months. He said: “I personally go in and out of ketosis frequently, getting very strict every month or two for about 5 days. I have been in ketosis for 6 months and even over a year, but function and feel better when I avoid long-term ketosis.” Anecdotally, when some individuals still have some fat to burn, they thrive in ketosis for longer periods of time more so than others. Some longer-term ketogenic diet followers do experience hormonal changes and probably should not be on the diet for an extended period of time. Continue reading >>
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Why Is Ketosis Dangerous For Diabetics?
Ketosis is merely the process of converting fat into energy by the breaking down of ketoacids. People on weight reducing diets tend to have small amounts of ketones released as the body requires more energy than is consumed as food and turns to stored fat (and other body tissues) to convert to glucose. However, Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a very serious metabolic disorder that can cause death. Insulin usually allows cells to take in energy (glucose) from blood and the cells "consume" it. When there is no insulin or not enough insulin there is a build up of glucose in the blood. However, the cells are unable to use it without insulin to unlock the cell. As the cells aren't being supplied with energy the body goes to fat stores to break up ketoacids to release energy. This glucose goes into the blood which is already full of glucose that can't be used. The ketones released in high numbers cause the blood to change it's PH to more acid and this is very dangerous. In addition the cycle of putting more and more sugar in the blood thickens it making it more difficult to move it through small blood vessels. It can be difficult to treat and always requires hospital admission. This is usually an issue for Type 1 diabetics but a similar disorder can also affect type 2's as well. The ketones are acidic. Because so many ketones are required to replace the neutral and unusable (in ketotic diabetics) glucose molecules, the body pH shifts dangerously, causing many systems to malfunction. pH is used by the body to regulate the flow of dissolved ions, and when it goes wonky, muscles and nerves misfire. The other problem with ketosis is the unused glucose. Without insulin, the glucose in the bloodstream can't be absorbed into tissues and used, so it hangs around and builds to very high leve Continue reading >>
What Are The Dangers Of Placing The Body On Constant Ketosis?
As you might know, ketosis is the process of breaking down stored fat for energy when glucose and glycogen are too low. This is a good weight loss process when done occasionally but too much of something is never good. The biochemistry behind it: During ketosis, fatty acid chains are broken down in the liver in to ketone bodies. These ketone bodies are carried through the blood stream in order to reach surrounding tissues in need of energy. Once they reach a cell, they’re converted in to acetyl CoA so that they can go through the citric acid cycle to produce energy in the mitochondria. The problem with too much of it: When someone’s body is under constant ketosis, the concentration of ketone bodies in their blood stream becomes too high. Ketone bodies like acetoacetic acid and R-beta-hydroxybutyric acid are acidic. High concentrations of those in your bloodstream will make your blood acidic, which leads to acidosis. This can lead to a number of symptoms which I invite you to look up, none of them are good and it should be treated as soon as possible. One of those symptoms is a characteristic fruity acetone breath. Constant ketosis happens to people with untreated type 1 diabetes. In their case, it can lead to death if left untreated. Continue reading >>
I Am A 26 Y/o Female, 43kgs, 151cm, On A Diet For A Year. How To Eat Normally And Feel Good About My Self?
I was just your age when I found myself in the same situation. I was “guided” to a job at The Weight Loss Clinic in St Louis MO (weighing 180 lbs!) where I lost 60+ lbs. working a great job, became healthy/active, looked great plus learned how to eat healthfully for ever after. The eating “plan” is a basic Atkins diet. Because Atkins allows the body to shift into ketosis (dangerous for diabetics but stops hunger pangs & gives great energy. Following the plan, women can expect 3–4 lbs. a week weigh loss & men more. GR8FUL Continue reading >>
What Is Ketosis?
"Ketosis" is a word you'll probably see when you're looking for information on diabetes or weight loss. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? That depends. Ketosis is a normal metabolic process, something your body does to keep working. When it doesn't have enough carbohydrates from food for your cells to burn for energy, it burns fat instead. As part of this process, it makes ketones. If you're healthy and eating a balanced diet, your body controls how much fat it burns, and you don't normally make or use ketones. But when you cut way back on your calories or carbs, your body will switch to ketosis for energy. It can also happen after exercising for a long time and during pregnancy. For people with uncontrolled diabetes, ketosis is a sign of not using enough insulin. Ketosis can become dangerous when ketones build up. High levels lead to dehydration and change the chemical balance of your blood. Ketosis is a popular weight loss strategy. Low-carb eating plans include the first part of the Atkins diet and the Paleo diet, which stress proteins for fueling your body. In addition to helping you burn fat, ketosis can make you feel less hungry. It also helps you maintain muscle. For healthy people who don't have diabetes and aren't pregnant, ketosis usually kicks in after 3 or 4 days of eating less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. That's about 3 slices of bread, a cup of low-fat fruit yogurt, or two small bananas. You can start ketosis by fasting, too. Doctors may put children who have epilepsy on a ketogenic diet, a special high-fat, very low-carb and protein plan, because it might help prevent seizures. Adults with epilepsy sometimes eat modified Atkins diets. Some research suggests that ketogenic diets might help lower your risk of heart disease. Other studies show sp Continue reading >>
