Type 2 Ketones

[Celticspirit]

My diabetic nurse has said you can’t get ketones if you’re type 2.. Does anyone know if this is true please . I recently had very high glucose in fact it was 30 mmol . I was really concerned 5hat I had ketones and she said no I wouldn’t have them . It was 30 for a number of days . I had Covid .

 

[Rachox]

It is less common in type 2s but is possible. Have a read here:

Diabetes & Ketones

The presence of high levels of ketones in the bloodstream is a common complication of diabetes, which if left untreated can lead to ketoacidosis.

www.diabetes.co.uk

Edit to add: oopsie sorry just noticed this is your first post, welcome!

 

[KennyA]

My diabetic nurse has said you can’t get ketones if you’re type 2.. Does anyone know if this is true please . I recently had very high glucose in fact it was 30 mmol . I was really concerned 5hat I had ketones and she said no I wouldn’t have them . It was 30 for a number of days . I had Covid .

Hi and welcome.

This is a bit more complicated than it appears, because the question covers both ketones arising from dietary ketosis and ketones present because of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

T2s like me (or non-diabetics) can and do "get ketones" because we are eating a very low carb diet that triggers the body to start using its fat stores to make both glucose and ketones for use as fuel. So at the moment I am running on ketones, and have been for nearly four years.

However and in contrast, if you are producing no insulin - eg you are Type 1, but also others - and you have high levels of ketones, it's because your body is producing ketones in quantity in an attempt to keep you alive. In this case the person affected is likely also to have very high levels of blood glucose, because there's no available insulin to get the glucose out of the blood and into the cells where it's needed. DKA is serious and life-threatening.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a dangerous complication faced by people with diabetes which happens when the body starts running out of insulin.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a dangerous complication faced by people with diabetes which happens when the body starts running out of insulin. DKA is most commonly associated with type 1 diabetes , however, people with type 2 diabetes that produce very little of their own insulin may also be...

www.diabetes.co.uk