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This is one of the most common terms used in this forum and other places where diet is discussed, yet I am still very confused.
"Ketosis is a metabolic state in which some of the body's energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood, in contrast to a state of glycolysis in which blood glucose provides energy. Ketosis is a nutritional process characterised by serum concentrations of ketone bodies over 0.5 mM, with low and stable levels of insulin and blood glucose. It is almost always generalized with hyperketonemia, that is, an elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood throughout the body." (From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis.)
Apparently it is something that we all use for energy-production some of the time, for instance while fasting during a night's sleep. It is characterized by getting the energy from fat, which is why those with excess fat will see it "melt away."
But there is also the "ketogenic diet." As I understand it, this involves lowering carbs so much that the body enters into permanent "ketosis" because there is never enough ingested carb to get enough energy from glucose. Once you are in that state, you will stay there unless you increase carb intake. Once you are "out" of that ketonic state, it could then take a while, maybe a few days (?) to re-enter it.
If a "keto diet" is one of permanent ketosis, then I think it is likely that relatively few of us are doing this, even on a very-low-carb diet. I can see that we would be using ketosis a fair amount of the time, but that we would also be non-ketonic some or most of the time. If on the other hand a "keto" diet is characterized by "sometimes" being in ketosis, then it must apply to all of us at one time or another, even those who are not dieting (???).
Finally, there is the unfortunate similarity with the name of the dangerous condition called "Diabetic Keto-Acidosis." Most people on places like this forum understand the difference between "ketosis" and DKA but apparently that knowledge is not universal!
Finally: As many have pointed out, if a low-carb diet "works for you," then it doesn't really matter whether it is "keto" or not!
"Ketosis is a metabolic state in which some of the body's energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood, in contrast to a state of glycolysis in which blood glucose provides energy. Ketosis is a nutritional process characterised by serum concentrations of ketone bodies over 0.5 mM, with low and stable levels of insulin and blood glucose. It is almost always generalized with hyperketonemia, that is, an elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood throughout the body." (From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis.)
Apparently it is something that we all use for energy-production some of the time, for instance while fasting during a night's sleep. It is characterized by getting the energy from fat, which is why those with excess fat will see it "melt away."
But there is also the "ketogenic diet." As I understand it, this involves lowering carbs so much that the body enters into permanent "ketosis" because there is never enough ingested carb to get enough energy from glucose. Once you are in that state, you will stay there unless you increase carb intake. Once you are "out" of that ketonic state, it could then take a while, maybe a few days (?) to re-enter it.
If a "keto diet" is one of permanent ketosis, then I think it is likely that relatively few of us are doing this, even on a very-low-carb diet. I can see that we would be using ketosis a fair amount of the time, but that we would also be non-ketonic some or most of the time. If on the other hand a "keto" diet is characterized by "sometimes" being in ketosis, then it must apply to all of us at one time or another, even those who are not dieting (???).
Finally, there is the unfortunate similarity with the name of the dangerous condition called "Diabetic Keto-Acidosis." Most people on places like this forum understand the difference between "ketosis" and DKA but apparently that knowledge is not universal!
Finally: As many have pointed out, if a low-carb diet "works for you," then it doesn't really matter whether it is "keto" or not!