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Blood sugar and ketosis

B

benjo123456

Well-Known Member
Hi. Sorry about all the questions, but I can't find the answer elsewhere on the internet:

What happens to our blood sugar reading if we are in ketosis and adjusted to fat burning? Will it simply settle on a level and then stop there, or will the ketones we produce naturally raise blood sugar levels?
 
usually hovers around 4-5.5mmols BG, sometimes* lower depending on activty

anything above <0.3mmol ketones u will be in the start of ketosis
 

Hi @benjo123456 . . .

Blood-sugar levels will generally stay a bit lower than what is considered to be "normal", when in dietary Ketosis.

Gluconeogenesis (release of Glycogen from the liver) will keep the blood-sugar levels up to where the body needs them to be, in the absence of much dietary Carbs.

The attached file is an excerpt from "The Ketogenic Diet" by Lyle McDonald, a very big and thorough book about the topic. I have found this book extremely useful. If you have lots of questions about the Keto diet then perhaps it's useful to you too? I have the book as a PDF file if you'd like me to send to you. Let me know if so.

Regards
Antony

edited for small correction
 

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Thanks for that. That chart is very useful. I'd appreciate the pdf too.
 
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My bg stays between 75-90 most of the time. Sometimes a little higher fasting if I had a larger dinner.
I do have to watch my protein though as I gluconeogenisis like a rock star.
If you keep your carbs below 20, moderate your protein ( 50-75 g depending on exercise) and fill the rest in with fats you should donquite well. Spread your protein and carbs out though. Not all at one meal.
 
The two systems are not interlinked - low carb diets will induce ketosis, but ketones are the result of metabolizing fats - there could be high ketones and high blood glucose, or high ketones and low blood sugar, or any situation in between, throw in variations in insulin from the pancreas or by injection and it is anyone's guess as to what the numbers might become - but there is no relationship.
 
diamondnostril said:
Gluconeogenesis (release of Glycogen from the liver)
Click to expand...

I think this might over simplify what gluconogenesis is. It isn't simply the release of glycogen from the liver. It is the creation of glucose by the liver when glycogen stores are low. If no glucose coming in (because you are low carbing) your liver will turn amino acids from proteins eaten and glycerol from fats eaten into glucose. So if you are low carbing your blood sugar levels will still be affected by what you eat, just in a different way.
 
That's helpful, thanks
 
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