::Thusa:: (re: ketosis)

OkieDokie88

Ketosis, or ketoacidosis is very dangerous if sustained for very long. The ONLY thing your brain can run on is glucose. If you don't have glucose in your blood stream then your body starts breaking down fatty acids to make something close to glucose, which relases ketones into your blood. Ketones build up, and even in small amounts can cvause severe brain damamge. Part of the damage is from your brain not having sufficient energy sources, as well as the ketones themselves are damaging.

 Usually ketoacidosis is seen in diabetic patients who have no insulin in their body. Their blood sugar will be in the 700-900 range, but none of it is able to go into the cells, so they are breaking down the fatty acids, which causes the ketoacidosis. However, it is possible to become severly acidotic without diabetes, because your blood sugar gets so low that you have no usable amounts of glucose. Either way KA is often a trip to the ICU and can cause serious damage.

I would recommend you have your mom or whoever it was on that diet to discuss this with a doctor before continuing, and if a dr told her to follow the diet, then get a second opinion. ketosis can get very serious, very fast

Thusadeedoo

Wow, thank you so much for that info. I am going to pass it along to her. I was very skeptical of the diet she is on, but she insists it was such a great thing.

I can also tell the physical signs of her being in ketosis, because I read an article about how the gasses can come out of your body through your breathe. Her breathe has been horrid since on this diet and she wont even take a tic tac to help it.

She is also on methotrexate (sp?) which she has been on for years for her PA/RA but I do know that they check her liver every 6 weeks because of the effects this medication can also have on your liver. This just sounsd like double trouble.

Mysterious_wife

OkieDokie88:

Ketosis, or ketoacidosis is very dangerous if sustained for very long. The ONLY thing your brain can run on is glucose. If you don't have glucose in your blood stream then your body starts breaking down fatty acids to make something close to glucose, which relases ketones into your blood. Ketones build up, and even in small amounts can cvause severe brain damamge. Part of the damage is from your brain not having sufficient energy sources, as well as the ketones themselves are damaging.

 Usually ketoacidosis is seen in diabetic patients who have no insulin in their body. Their blood sugar will be in the 700-900 range, but none of it is able to go into the cells, so they are breaking down the fatty acids, which causes the ketoacidosis. However, it is possible to become severly acidotic without diabetes, because your blood sugar gets so low that you have no usable amounts of glucose. Either way KA is often a trip to the ICU and can cause serious damage.

I would recommend you have your mom or whoever it was on that diet to discuss this with a doctor before continuing, and if a dr told her to follow the diet, then get a second opinion. ketosis can get very serious, very fast

It doesn't always have to be that high.  DH had ketones in his blood and his glucose was averaging 420s. 

kscarlett5683

No offense,  but PLEASE be careful when you dispense medical advice!

Ketoacidosis - what occurs in diabetics, and ketosis/lipolysis, what happens when one eats a low carb diet, are TWO different things. Ketoacidosis can kill, ketosis/lipolysis is SAFE.

I have been eating a low carb diet for over 10 years, have done plenty of research, and my diet is approved by my physician, fwiw. I am not a medical doctor - please check my facts with a physician if you care to.