When I was told I was type 2 diabetic, my doctor put me in a diabetic education program. I might be confusing this with something else, but the nurse educator said that not only did we have to check our blood sugar, we needed to get ketostix to check to make sure we were not in ketoacid or something to that effect. Is this the same as ketosis or is this a different condition?

I remember reading about ketosis in the Atkins Diet Revolution but don't remember any other condition discussed.

I feel so much better since starting the Atkins Plan and wonder why the nurse educator stressed the ketostix. Seems to me ketosis is a good thing. Any comments or information would be appreciated.

The dangerous condition is called ketoacidosis . It is different from ketosis you get with a low-carb diet.

Ketoacidosis is a potentially fatal condition, which is why the nurse mentioned it. The nurse should also have mentioned that your blood sugar levels would be very high.

There is a lot of information on this topic - try the search function using "ketoacidosis," and you'll get far better and more technically correct answers than mine.

Bottom line - Dr. Atkins refers to the diet-related ketosis as benign dietary ketosis - nothing to worry about.

HTH

hi Michael,

Good question!

Yes, diabetics need to be watchful for diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, which results from uncontrolled high blood sugars. Due to lack of insulin, sugar builds up in the blood causing an acid condition -- not to mention all the harm to kidneys and organs that comes from having so much sugar present. Because there's too little insulin to help the cells use that sugar for energy, the body starts breaking down fat to make ketones for survival. The ketones add to the already-present acid condition, and the combination of high blood sugar plus ketosis causes a profound diuresis. The toxic levels of sugar and acid, plus severe dehydration requires emergency treatment at a hospital. Typically, IV fluids are given, along with injections of insulin and potassium to help bring the sky-rocketing blood sugars down to normal levels. Other drugs are given to buffer and alkalinize the blood.

Ketone production associated with low-carb dieting is known as benign dietary ketosis, or BDK. This is totally different from the above situation ... and the word "benign" means harmless. With BKA, there is no uncontrolled high blood sugar, and there is no life-threatening acid condition in the blood.


hth,


Doreen