what are ketones keto diet causes of ketones in urine symptoms prevention

Ketones in Urine : A Cause of Concern?

By AradhyaGiri
Last Updated: 14/10/2021 17:37

Generally, when one sees ketones in urine; it is most probably associated with a complication of diabetes. If that cause is ruled out, it is assumed that it must’ve been the body’s adaptation to a long duration of starvation. In people suffering from diabetes, presence of large amounts of ketones in urine can be life-threatening.
With the recent rise in the demand of fad diets, especially the “keto diet” it has become an everyday thing to monitor ketone levels in one’s body.

What Are Ketones?

Your body primarily runs on glucose. When it is short in supply, or if you have diabetes and don’t receive enough insulin for your cells to absorb glucose, the body starts breaking down fats for energy. Ketones are a byproduct of these metabolized fatty acids.

Keto Diet

The keto diet involves putting your body in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs. This means reducing carbohydrates to a negligible amount, moderate protein consumption while highly increasing the fat intake.
This consumption and absorption of only fats increases ketone levels in the body that can be tracked by bood, urine & breath tests. To know more; read our blog on keto diets :

Don’t Follow a Keto Diet, but still have Ketones in your Urine?

Here's a list of probable causes;

Poorly Controlled Diabetes & Diabetic Ketoacidosis:: Diabetic ketoacidosis is a very serious complication of diabetes where the person requires immediate medical attention & care.
Eating Disorders:: Individuals suffering from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia nervosa often have excessively high ketone levels.
Starvation:Fasting or starving for long durations of time puts your body in a state of ketosis, thus metabolizing fats and releasing ketones.
Mindless Alcohol Consumption:Alcoholic ketoacidosis can develop when you drink excessive amounts of alcohol for a long period of time.
Immoderate Exercise:Over-exercising increases the need for energy, which leads to the production of overabundant ketones.

Other Causes

Other Causes Include ;

Symptoms Of Ketone BuildUp

A person suffering from diabetes needs to be especially aware of these symptoms;

Preventive Measures & Lifestyle Changes

Follow a Healthy Diet
Monitor Blood Sugar Levels Regularly
Limit Your Alcohol Consumption
Exercise, apprehensively

Tracking Ketone Levels

Body ketone levels are kept in check by blood, urine and breath tests.
Neodocs Wellness Cards help you track your body ketone levels with a smartphone based lab test at home that yields accurate results within seconds, in the palm of your hand.