Diabetes Ketosis
Before starting keto diet, its strongly recommended to consult your doctor. So the doctor will access your overall health and your body’s suitability to this diet.
So here we will discuss keto diet for prediabetes, diabetes type 2 and diabetes type 1. Normal if your blood sugar is less than 100 milligrams per decilitre (mg/dL). And prediabetes if your blood sugar is 100 to 125 mg/dL. But diabetes if your blood sugar is 126 mg/dL or higher.
What diabetes ketosis is?
Diabetes ketosis can be dangerous for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It can cause a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
DKA is caused by excessive amounts of acid in the blood which can poison the body, leading to loss of consciousness and death.
Ketosis is dangerous for people with type 1 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes cannot metabolise ketones because they don’t have insulin. And without insulin, when the body starts using fat for energy, ketones are released into the blood. In this case ketones can cause metabolic acidosis.
Ketoacidosis can sometimes develop in type 2 diabetes. And diabetic ketoacidosis can develop very quickly. Its symptoms include:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Blurred vision
- Weakness
- Confusion
- Shortness of breath
- Fruity-smelling breath
- Tiredness
- Vomiting
So you should seek medical advice as soon as possible if:
- you have diabetes and your blood sugar or ketone levels are high,
- or if you don’t feel well with normal ketone and blood sugar levels.
Ketoacidosis is treated in a hospital with IV fluids, IV nutrients to replace lost electrolytes, and/or IV insulin.
Urine ketone levels
| Urine Ketone Levels | <0.6 mmol/L | 0.6-3 mmol/L | >5 mmol/L | >10 mmol/L |
| Meanings | Normal | Nutritional ketosis | High risk for ketoacidosis, if blood sugar is above 250 mg/dL, call doctor | DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), seek medical attention immediately |
Urine ketones are usually measured as a “spot test.” This is available in a test kit that you can buy at a drug store. The kit contains dipsticks with chemicals which react with ketones. A dipstick is dipped in the urine sample. A colour change indicates the presence of ketones.
Blood sugar levels
- Normal: below 5.7 %
- Prediabetes: 5.7%-6.4%
- Diabetes: 6.5% or above
Diabetes ketosis for diabetes type 2
Type 2 diabetes is a disease of high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and inflammation. So nutritional ketosis can be effective diabetes reversal tool because it can improve all three.
But its recommended to consult doctor before starting keto diet because you would need to monitor closely ketones levels and blood sugar to avoid complications.
A doctor can help you safely reduce your medications so that they don’t drive your blood sugar or blood pressure too low. Low blood sugar and low blood pressure can be very dangerous.
Prediabetes ketosis
Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.
Eating healthy foods, regular physical exercises and staying at a healthy weight can help bring your blood sugar level back to normal.
Prediabetes doesn’t usually have any signs or symptoms.
One possible sign of prediabetes is darkened skin on certain parts of the body. Affected areas can include the neck, armpits, elbows, knees, and knuckles.
Keto diet can help to prevent prediabetes progress into diabetes type 2. A reduced carb intake during keto diet lowers amount of insulin in the body. It also helps to control blood glucose. Consult your doctor before starting the diet.
Why we always recommend consulting the doctor is because people with diabetes take medications which lower blood sugar. Keto diet is based on low carb and low sugar intake. Your medication needs to be adjusted by a doctor because you will be decreasing blood sugar levels by two ways.
During keto diet you eat fewer carbs, you will have lesser glycogen stores. Less glycogen means less water retained. Less water retained and, you guessed it…the scale goes down.
You can purchase keto-friendly products both in stores and online. If you are looking for keto-friendly seeds, try this one: