ketones
Hi everyone,
Ihave not written before because i don’t have much useful information to
share, but i did love reading everyone’s views - especially on diet/nutrition
such as the good/bad oils debate.
I wondered if we could go back to talking about diabetes again? Does anyone
know anything about ketones? My son is type 1 and also cerebral palsy. He
is on a very low sugar diet - even a piece of sweet fruit sends his BS levels
soaring, and presumably because of his diet he has ketones in his urine. I
know this is OK for losing weight according to the Atkins diet but i want him
to put ON weight!
Incidentally, we’ve tried all sorts of things to help keep his BS down
(various oils, cinnamon, gymnema, B vits, etc.) but 2 things really have an
obvious effect - ground fenugreek and stevia.
Please can anyone comment?
Jaine
February 18th, 2006 at 10:18 am
Hi everyone,
I’m new to the group and this is my second attempt at posting a
message - i’m a bit useless with computers.
I was wondering if anyone could comment on using a very low
carbohydrate diet in an attempt to keep blood sugar levels down. My son
has type 1 and cerebral palsy. He does well on a vegetarian low carb
diet but often has ketones in his urine. I suppose from an Atkins diet
point of view this is ok but he needs to gain weight.
ps. two foods we have found to make a real difference are ground
fenugreek and stevia.
Jaine
February 8th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Kat
There is a serious complication called ketoacidosis which is caused
by too many ketones. For a diabetic, this can cause convulsions,
comatosis and eventually death if not treated immediately. It is
more common in insulin-dependent diabetics than non-insulin dependent
diabetes. For this reason, my doc has suggested a diet that is a
balance of all foods, including a measured amount of carbohydrates.<
Unfortunately, this information is not quite correct. In school,
doctors, nurses, etc. are taught to be on the lookout for
ketoacidosis in diabetics. This state indicates an extreme emergency
in which the patient can indeed go into coma and even death.
The problem is that the ketoacidosis is NOT the problem, it is an
INDICATOR of a problem with glucose and insulin levels. The cause of
coma and death is that glucose and insulin levels are out of control
and the body does not have enough available energy.
Doctors and nurses are locked into the thinking that ketosis is the
problem, rather than just a symptom. They think that because ketosis
in a diabetic means trouble, that ketosis is something to be avoided
at all cost, no matter who you are, and how much weight you need to
lose.
In a low-carb dieter, ketosis actually means the opposite of diabetic
ketoacidosis. It means that glucose and insulin levels are stable,
which means that the body is able to naturally break down body fat as
a fuel source. At the turn of the century, before the development of
injectable insulin, low-carb diets were the standard treatment for
diabetics, because low-carb programs stabelize glucose and insulin
levels. The death rates from diabetes for those on low-carb programs
was virtually nonexistant, and diabetes was not a major health
problem.
Today, diabetes is among the top 3 causes of death, and the rates are
escalating. Why? Because low-carb diets to control diabetes are no
longer recommended. Instead, they are put on high-carb diets, which
throw off glucose levels even more, which then requries even more
injected insulin.
About 90% of type II diabetics who require insulin can get off of
insulin completely using a low-carb diet. The other 10% can greatly
reduce the levels they need to take. Even for a diabetic, going into
ketosis due to a low-carb diet is not a problem. Again, it is only an
indication that the body is attempting to break down body fat for
energy.
Many of the younger, doctors now know the difference between
ketoacidos caused by out of control glucose and insulin, vs ketosis
caused by stable levels from a low-carb diet. Unfortunately, it’s
been so ingrained in their training, than lots of the more
established health professionals simply do not make the distinction
between the two entirely different states (which just happen to have
the same indicator). It’s difficult for them to realize that the
ketoacidosis that can indicate comma or deat in a matter of minutes
or hours, is not exactly the same situation as someone who stays in
deep ketosis for weeks or even months to improve their health. Even
though the ketone levels are the same.
-Does anyone on our list here have information about the dangers or safety
of having ketones in one’s urine?
-Linda R
February 9th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Linda, the explanation Kat sent was really good. Also, if you can get one
of Dr. Atkins books, he explains ketosis in great detail and makes it easily
understood.
Kady
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