Borderline keto

[notria]

I have been doing low GI for 20 years then 2 years ago diagnosed Lada Type 1. Not on insulin yet as A1c is 47 but am thinking about it. I have read Dr Bernstein’s book and lowered carb – so far its between 40g and 120g per day. I believe that the UK government recommends a minimum of 120g carb for brain function.

I understand that if you achieve very low carb eg 24g per day then your brain can adapt to ketones – you become ketone adapted. But what if you are below 120g but above 24g or if one day below 24g and another day you are much higher than 24g? Can your brain instantly switch between glucose and ketones? Help appreciated.

 

[Lamont D]

I have been doing low GI for 20 years then 2 years ago diagnosed Lada Type 1. Not on insulin yet as A1c is 47 but am thinking about it. I have read Dr Bernstein’s book and lowered carb – so far its between 40g and 120g per day. I believe that the UK government recommends a minimum of 120g carb for brain function.

I understand that if you achieve very low carb eg 24g per day then your brain can adapt to ketones – you become ketone adapted. But what if you are below 120g but above 24g or if one day below 24g and another day you are much higher than 24g? Can your brain instantly switch between glucose and ketones? Help appreciated.

Hi, having been in ketosis for well over two years now, I can tell you that first we are all different and the government advice is only a guideline, a very safe guideline!
I am carb intolerant! I avoid carbs and sugars and I can exist on no food at all for up to a week! How?
All I know is I don't need food to give me my glucose or energy.
I know that my liver supplies me with the amount of glucose required, not food!
I only eat to survive! I eat to give my body necessary vitamins! That's all!
The need for carbs, that spike you is unnecessary!
I suppose a T1, will give you there opinion, so I will leave it there.
Best wishes on your journey!

 

[Robbity]

We don't need any carbs at all for our brains to function! if we did many of us on the forum would have been completely brain dead long ago!

If you go low enough carb for long enough your body does become keto/fat adapted (which is actually our natural state) and then your body can and will happily switch fuels as required. Carbs are easier to process so they will always be used first then fat reserves will be called upon. This is how we're supposed to "work" (and we actually have far less capacity to store carb generated fuel than we do to store fatty fuel). It's only the fairly recent (and incorrect) emphasis on high carb diets that has generally caused us to be reliant on them.

Robbity