What are ketones?
” A: Ketones are a by-product/or waste product when your body burns stored fat for energy. Ketones can be measured in the urine with a visually read strip, and in the blood by using the Precision Xtra® meter. Before I describe various situations in which a person might have ketones, let me provide a simple review of how the body works: • The foods you eat break down into glucose (sugar). Glucose travels in the blood and into your cells. Insulin is a hormone (or “key”) that “unlocks the doors of your cells” to allow glucose to enter your cells where it can be turned into energy. So without insulin, glucose wouldn’t be able to get into the cells. • Your brain (and the rest of your body) requires glucose to function. When you haven’t eaten for a while, or during the night when you’re asleep, your liver releases stored glucose to keep you supplied with energy. • If you don’t eat for several days, the stored glucose in the liver is depleted, and your body is in a starvation state. In this s
Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for energy or fuel. They are also produced when you lose weight or if there is not enough insulin to help your body use sugar for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. Since the body is unable to use glucose for energy, it breaks down fat instead. When this occurs, ketones form in the blood and spill into the urine. These ketones can make you very sick.
