Signs of Ketone Buildup

(Newswire.net — January 27, 2018) Cheyenne, Wyoming — Most people are mindful or, at the very least, fairly aware of how dietary issues can evolve into medical concerns if not controlled. While clogged arteries due to excessive fat or general overeating plague one in every three people in America, there is a another not so silent killer. Approximately 29 million people suffer from diabetes and related issues, so early diagnosis and monitoring of the vital body functions is imperative.

“If your cells don’t get enough glucose, your body burns fat for energy instead,” explains Medicline Plus. “This produces a substance called ketones, which can show up in your blood and urine. High ketone levels in urine may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes that can lead to a coma or even death.”

So ketones are acidic in nature and an overload of these chemicals alters the pH value of overall state, making blood and urine a whole lot more acidic than it ought to be, hence the term ketoacidosis is used to the describe such conditions.  

Ketones aren’t all bad though, don’t get it wrong. Ketones are very helpful during extended periods of famines and can even be strategically employed to accomplish healthy weight loss goals, so it’s just something to be regulated keenly. 

“The breakdown of fat for fuel and the creation of ketones is a normal process for everyone,” says Healthline.com. “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.”  

As with most things in life there’s never smoke without fire so the question begs, what are some of the warning signs of ketoacidosis to be on the lookout for? Having consistently dry mouth, intense thirst, copious trips to the bathroom to urinate and high blood sugar levels – anything over 240 milligrams per deciliter is something to be concerned about.  

Furthermore, if one unwittingly ignores these alert signals, the body will start sending out some not so subtle messages next. Everything from feeling light headed, unexplainably confused and fatigued to vomiting, nausea and difficulty breathing, the body goes all out screaming for help. It even develops a distinctly pungent fruit breath smell, and it’s not the Wrigley’s double mint clean type of scent. 

If one is diabetic, on a low carb, high protein keto diet of any kind or just notes too many of the symptoms mentioned above, then regular ketones testing should be conducted and a physician consulted on the matter for an official diagnosis. Using a ketone urine analysis strip such as the HealthyWiser™ Ketone Reagent Strips is the most convenient and effortless manner of accessing this issue with 99% accuracy.