Recognizing Telltale Signs of Ketoacidosis

(Newswire.net — May 13, 2018) Cheyenne, Wyoming — Most people are mindful or at the very least fairly aware of how dietary concerns can evolve into medical issue if not controlled. Clogged arties due to excessive fat or general overeating affects 1 in every 3 people in America but there is another not so silent killer looming about as well. Roughly 29 million persons suffer from diabetes and such 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 too much of these chemicals alters the pH value of the body’s overall state, which makes blood and urine a whole lot more acidic than it ought to be hence the term ketoacidosis is used to the describe such conditions.  

“For diabetics, there isn’t enough insulin in your system, you can’t turn glucose into energy,” explains The American Diabetes Association “So your body starts breaking down body fat. Ketones are a chemical by-product of this process. This can occur when people with type 1 diabetes don’t take insulin for long periods of time, when insulin pumps fail to deliver insulin and the wearer does not monitor blood glucose, or during serious illness (in type 1 or type 2) when insulin doses are missed or not increased appropriately for the stress of illness. Ketones can happen to anyone with diabetes, but the condition is more common in people with type 1.” 

It’s crucial to note that ketones aren’t all bad though, don’t get it wrong. Ketones are in fact extremely helpful during periods of drought or famine. Furthermore, it can actually 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.”  

Just 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 ignored, 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 means of accessing this issue with 99% accuracy.