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If you live with diabetes, you may be familiar with the risk of high blood sugar levels and slipping into diabetic ketosidosis, or DKA.
This dangerous condition can be fatal if left untreated.
While many may not be aware of it (with or without diabetes), there is a similar biological condition called ketosis, not related to dangerous hyperglycemia, but generally find it terrible.
This article will provide a more in-depth look at what ketoacidosis is, what ketosis is, and how the two conditions differ.
What is ketoacidosis?
Diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, is a serious short-term complication of diabetes that occurs from very high blood sugar levels when the blood changes from too many ketones in the body to acidic.
Ketoacidosis occurs when the body is unable to metabolize the glucose it has been ingested because there is no insulin available in the body. This causes rapid deterioration and requires immediate emergency medical treatment.
Ketoacidosis can occur quickly due to a complete lack of insulin (because you have broken your insulin pump or forget to inject before eating) due to regular illnesses over several days or stubborn hyperglycemia.
Ketoacidosis occurs much more frequently than diabetic patients with type 1 diabetes. In fact, about 25% of patients participate in DKA, where they have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Although rare, some people may not suffer from diabetes, ketosidosis can also be achieved. It can be caused by chronic alcoholism, hunger, or hyperactive thyroid.
What are the symptoms of ketoacidosis?
Some common symptoms of ketoacidosis include: If you believe you are experiencing ketoacidosis, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
- Body pain and headache
- Extreme thirst and dry mouth
- Frequent urination
- Hyperglycemia
- Ketones in the urine
- nausea
- vomiting
- Haze
- Fruity scented breath
- Extreme fatigue
- confusion
- Weight loss (quickly and dangerous)
- I washed my face
How dangerous is ketoacidosis?
Ketoacidosis is extremely dangerous and needs to be addressed immediately by a medical professional.
Call 911 or if you think you are in DKA, move to your local emergency department and/or you can’t lower your glucose level for hours at 250 mg/dL or higher, moderate to high ketones for a few hours.
If left untreated, ketoacidosis can lead to coma and death in diabetes.
Anyone with diabetes should test ketone strips at home (via blood or urine) for ketones in the system to prevent the development of DKA.
What is ketosis?
Nutritional ketosis, on the other hand, is a biological condition that occurs when the body begins to rely on fat for energy instead of glucose.
When your body burns this fat, it creates ketones that the body can use for fuel. This can cause rapid and sustained weight loss (similar to the weight loss seen in diabetes diagnosis, but this weight loss is harmless).
This usually occurs when eating very low carbohydrate foods, such as ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting, or (in some cases) paleopathy.
Nutritional ketosis can be achieved after eating carbohydrates for about 3-4 days per day.
Symptoms of ketosis
The only way to make sure your body is in ketosis is to get a ketone test, but there are some symptoms that may be experiencing the “ketoflu” or the early side effects of sugar and carbohydrate withdrawal.
These will pass within a few days, including:
- Brain mist
- insomnia
- I’m irritated
- headache
- Constipation (and sometimes diarrhea)
- Sugar craving
- Muscle pain
- Increased heart rate
- dehydration
- nausea
- Convulsions
- Bad breath (called “ketosis” breathing)
Drinking large amounts of water can reduce the symptoms of ketosis, and most of them should disappear completely after a few days.
One of the things some people see from long-term ketosis is the increased incidence of kidney stones. Replenishing your diet with potassium citrate tablets can help prevent this.
Is ketosis dangerous?
For those without chronic illnesses and for those who are not pregnant, nutritional ketosis is not dangerous as long as there is enough insulin in the body.
People fall into ketosis, do not have dangerously high blood sugar, and are not in serious danger.
Ketosis is not recommended for pregnant women, those trying to get pregnant, or women breastfeeding. This is because ketosis can affect breast milk supply.
Eating due to ketosis is not recommended either to those experiencing it.
- Pancreatitis
- Liver failure
- Carnitine deficiency
- Porphyria
- Disorders affecting dietary fat metabolism
Some long-term ketosis residents experience hypoglycemia, fatigue, fatty liver, chronic constipation, increased cholesterol levels, and increased incidence of kidney stones, but this is not guaranteed.
Always check with your doctor before starting a new diet plan.
Can diabetic patients fall into ketosis without ketosidosis?
yes! You should always talk to your doctor before starting a new feeding regimen, but there are many diabetics who stick to a ketonogenic diet and stay in ketosis, while maintaining their normal blood sugar range.
In fact, some studies have demonstrated the health benefits of staying in a ketonogenic diet/ketosis when you have diabetes. A two-year study found that people with diabetes after the ketogenic diet lost an average of 26 pounds.
Another study found that ketogenic diets can help improve people’s insulin sensitivity by 75%.
We found that staying in ketosis via a very low carbohydrate diet lowered HBA1C levels in diabetic patients after more than 3 months.
Please note that taking a ketogenic diet and achieving ketosis affects the amount of insulin and/or diabetic medications needed. Therefore, always check with your doctor before changing your dietary habits or medication.
For more information about the ketogenic diet, click here. Ketogenic Diet and Diabetes: A Definitive Guide
Important Differences Between Ketosis and Ketosidosis
Both conditions lead to the development of ketones in the body, but the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis is the mechanism behind ketone development.
Ketones and insufficient insulin (ketoacidosis) are extremely dangerous conditions that can lead to diabetic coma or death if left untreated.
It usually only happens in people with insulin-dependent diabetes, but people with other types of diabetes can develop this condition as well with people suffering from hyperactive thyroid, hunger, or alcoholism.
Ketones, on the other hand, form from the body that is in a ketotic state and arise from eating a very low carbohydrate diet and fasting, using the body using fats instead of carbohydrates for fuel.
If you are interested in exploring ways to achieve ketosis and living with diabetes, check with your doctor first before changing your diet and/or medication.
