Thanks Lorraine ..
;
Indeed there's plenty of sound scientific evidence that
lowcarbohydrate-induced ketosis is not harmful in any way, and is a perfectly efficient source of fuel and energy in the body. In fact, ketogenic diets have been used since the 1920s to treat epilepsy in small children, infants even .. that can't be controlled with drugs. Wa'il has plenty of research in his Studies pages, (on the red menu bar above).
And as I stated in my post just above here, the tiny amount of glucose required by the body (red blood cells, and few certain nerve cells) can be provided by the vegetables and other trace carbs consumed OR the liver can make glucose from PROTEIN (which is why it's important to consume adequate protein every day, bare minimum 60 gms)
However, there seems to be a bit of misunderstanding about the role played by the
ketone strips, and should they show dark as possible, or light, or turn
green or
rainbow-striped or what ..
Ketones are produced in the liver, from the fatty acids which result from the breakdown and metabolism of FAT. It makes no difference whatsoever the
source of fat -- body or dietary -- so as long as you are keeping your carb intake low, your liver will make ketones from your BODY fat or from the fat you EAT, depending on what is handy at the time...
...
The liver can and DOES also make ketones from
alcohol. In fact, the conversion of alcohol to ketones is much simpler and direct, therefore the liver will use the incoming alcohol in PREFERENCE to any fatty acids that may be present. Which is why consuming alcoholic drinks won't knock you out of ketosis (unless they're sweet or mixed with a sugary drink) ... but it
will put FAT-burning on hold until the supply of alcohol is used up.
Inhaling certain acetyl-based solvents can also raise ketone levels in the blood, since these substances are metabolized in the liver as well ... paints and paint-thinners, nail-polish remover, hairsprays and other aerosols ... People who work in environments where these substances are concentrated will show higher than normal levels of ketones ... whether or NOT they are following a ketogenic diet. This would include -- auto-body shop workers, hairdressers & manicurists, house and industrial painters, insulation workers, etc
Ketones will spill into the urine ONLY when there is more in the blood than is being used as fuel by the body
at that particular moment. The sticks have no way to indicate the source of the ketones (body or dietary fat, alcohol or inhaled acetates, etc). Nor do they have any way of indicating
when the ketones were made, only that at the time of emptying your bladder, there were enough ketones in the blood to "spill over" into the urine.
You may have exercised a few hours previously, so your muscles would have used up the ketones as fuel, thus there will be no excess circulating in the blood. Yet, another person may have just exercised, and will have an excess of ketones because of the fat burned during the workout. You may have eaten a fatty meal, or had a glass of dry wine -- which will mean MORE ketones are in the blood at that moment. You may be dehydrated, or first thing in the morning (you haven't had anything to drink overnight) .. so there will be a concentration of ketones. Some people show lightest or negative in the morning, since for them, fat-burning slows during sleep, and speeds up when awake and active.
One of the quotes Lorraine has provided above, is from the Atkinscenter.com FAQ page ..
http://www.atkinscenter.com/faq/faq.asp ... If you scroll up the page, directly above that particular question, you'll see the following:
Quote:
What shade of purple should my Lipolysis Testing Strips be? Ketosis is an indicator used at The Atkins Center as a marker for whether a person is staying on the Diet. Ketones are formed when the body breaks down fat. If you are restricting the amount of carbohydrates you eat, then the body's preferred source of energy is used for metabolism.
There are many reasons why a person's ketone test strip would be varying shades of purple. Each dieter's metabolism level is different and therefore will turn the sticks a varying degree of purple. In addition, the time of the day, whether or not you exercise, and what you had at your last meal will all affect the ketone test strips. It also does not necessarily matter whether you are turning the strips a dark or light color. The important thing is you are in ketosis and are burning fat. However, keep in mind that every individual's metabolism is different, and as a result, there are patients at the Center who never even get into ketosis, yet lose all the weight they want.
In summary, don't worry about the exact level of ketosis you will find on the strip. The important thing is to worry about the restrictions of the Diet, how your clothes are fitting and what the scale says. Because of this, we sometimes do not even use the strips, nor do I encourage you to weigh yourself every day. This should be done once per week. Don't make the common mistake of eating less fat to get into ketosis; the opposite is actually true.
No matter what I do, I can’t get into ketosis or the shade of purple on the sticks is very light. What am I doing wrong? The first question to ask yourself is, “Am I seeing success on the Atkins Diet?” (loss of weight/inches, improved mental/physical energy, etc.). If you are, then don’t focus on ketosis as a success gauge.
If you are not seeing success, please review the question concerning stalled weight loss for additional help.
In either case, please remember not to over test yourself. At The Atkins Center, we recommend that patients test ketosis level as well as get on the scale no more than once a week.
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If you're interested to look into this further, here are a few more articles I found on the subject of how dark or light should the ketone strips be
For most lowcarbers, testing even just a trace for ketones is a perfectly adequate indication that ketosis and fat-burning is taking place. Period. There will always be some individuals who consistently test dark all the time, or who test negative all the time, yet fat-burnining and weight loss is happening at a steady rate. However it is working for YOU, it means that you are an individual, and here's a chance to celebrate your uniqueness ..
Doreen