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Really confused - Ketones and normal blood sugar

S

snowy_barks

Active Member
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Recently diagnosed T2 and have reduced my carb intake to manage my blood sugar.

I test regularly and keep my blood BG below 7.8 mmol/L 95% of the time.

I normally have a BG between 5.5 and 7, even after meals.

I have also bought some ketone testing strips, as I am trying to understand exactly what is going on in my body.

This morning my BG was 6.7mmol/L, although this was an hour after getting up. I tested for ketones and the indicator changed colour to show a ketone level of about 1.5mmol/L.

How can this be? If I have sufficient BG for normal operation why would ketones be present? I thought you only got these when your BG was very low? Is this a sign of some other problems?

Quite worried now!
 
Congratulations on your great control (you seem to have your diabetes licked already).

If you cut your carbohydrates below 50g (and almost certainly if you drop below 30g), your body will enter a state called ketosis, where you start burning fat (in fact ketones) to meet your daily energy requirement.

It shows that you are changing from being a "sugar burner" into a "fat burner".

As long as your BG is under control, it's a perfectly safe and natural state to be in (and some would argue that it's the default metabolic state for humans).

It's probably worth looking at some Atkins forums for more info, most of them are obsessed with getting ketones.

I'm on less than 30g a day, and I usually show ketones (in fact I usually a bit disappointed if I don't).

If you're worried, you need to up your carb intake (above 50g) and they should go away.
 
Thanks Fergie.

I understand that ketones would be present if I reduced carb intake but I thought that my BG would also have to be low for this to happen? I thought it would only happen with a BG of about 4 mmol/L.

Is this not the case?
 
Not as I understand it, mine never gets that low.

When you're in ketosis your liver manufactures glucose from protein to meet your brain's requirement.

Even if you got to 4 you'd probably liver dump and go higher...
 
On my curaçao diet I rarely seem to be above 4! Had 3 successive tests in the threes at 2 hrs after eating. If you're wondering, the curaçao diet consists of tons of carbs, wine, beer. Whisky, sun and snorkeling :thumbup: wonder what I'll show when I get back to real life! :roll:
 
Grazer said:
On my curaçao diet I rarely seem to be above 4! Had 3 successive tests in the threes at 2 hrs after eating. If you're wondering, the curaçao diet consists of tons of carbs, wine, beer. Whisky, sun and snorkeling :thumbup: wonder what I'll show when I get back to real life! :roll:
Click to expand...
:thumbup: That Diet sounds like a win-win situation to me!! :D Albeit a tad expensive to follow 365 days a year!!
 
Why not indeed!! I think I've got some of the stuff that resembles antifreeze in my sideboard leftover from christmas!! :lol:
 
snowy_barks said:
Recently diagnosed T2 and have reduced my carb intake to manage my blood sugar.

I test regularly and keep my blood BG below 7.8 mmol/L 95% of the time.

I normally have a BG between 5.5 and 7, even after meals.

I have also bought some ketone testing strips, as I am trying to understand exactly what is going on in my body.

This morning my BG was 6.7mmol/L, although this was an hour after getting up. I tested for ketones and the indicator changed colour to show a ketone level of about 1.5mmol/L.

How can this be? If I have sufficient BG for normal operation why would ketones be present? I thought you only got these when your BG was very low? Is this a sign of some other problems?

Quite worried now!
Click to expand...

Keytones as has been pointed out are a normal 'side effect' of very low carb diets where the body burns fatty acids.. which keytones are the bi-product. This is nothing to worry about if you are well hydrated and have normal blood glucose.

Keytones are a concern if your blood glucose is in excess of 12 - 13 mmol/l as this can be a sign of DKA.. which is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening condition... medical advice should always be sought in these situations.
 
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