Ketosis

When blood sugar drops due to a low-carbohydrate meal, the hormone glucagon is released which causes triglycerides to be released from body's store of fat. Glucagon also causes the liver to break the triglycerides into glycerol and fatty acids. Glycerol part of the triglyceride provides about 7% of the fat calories as glucose this is not enough to maintain blood sugar level. The free fatty acids which are released from body are cut into two and four carbon fragments called ketones or ketone bodies. Ketones are normally present in the bloodstream, but when their concentration exceeds 70 mg/dl, they start to appear in the urine this process is called as ketosis.

Ketone bodies are the heart preferred fuel, adrenal cortex, skeletal musculature and parts of the brain; these tissues actually prefer to burn ketones, which conserves blood sugar. Excess ketones are excreted in the breath, stool and mostly in the urine. We can distinguish between normal ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis by Ketodiastix which also show the level of sugar in the urine. This happens when a diabetic takes too little insulin and the resulting combination of very high blood sugar plus very high ketones can cause coma and death.

Without some carbohydrates to maintain blood sugar levels and fuel the system, ketone bodies fatty substances generated from the breakdown of stored fats or triglycerides are soon formed in the blood. Ketone bodies mask your appetite even though your brain demands glucose. The result is ketosis: headaches, light-headedness, and mental fatigue. Eventually, your body will begin to convert protein from your muscles into blood sugar. You lose weight, but it is from muscle mass, not from fat.

Effects

There are some side effects which are associated with ketosis. Ketosis could damage blood vessels and other tissues by increasing the amounts of chemical methylglyoxal. Although ketosis is an abnormal state of having too many ketone bodies, it should not be confused with ketoacidosis, a medical condition induced by diabetes and alcohol withdrawal, that is usually accompanied by dehydration, hyperglycemia, and insulin deficiency. Ketoacidosis is characterized by excess keto acids in the bloodstream, not ketone bodies, and ketosis is only a sign that a patient may have ketoacidosis.