Ketones?

Brycedance

Can someone please explain to me what they are and why someone would have an excess of them?  Is this something that happens regularly during weight loss?  I've done some research on Google but would like more info.

Thanks

Heather

PhillyBride123

The only thing I know about Ketones is that when I was pregnant I had EXTREME morning sickness, I couldn't even drink water without it coming back up. So I eventually had to go to the ER. When I got to  the ER they said I had Ketones and they hooked be up to an IV to give me fluids...

So by having a flashback of that moment... I would say it's not a good thing(?)

mgietler76

Diabetics have very high ketone's that they have to keep in check, I don't know the specifics but I'm sure if you google ketone and diabetes you should find helpful info. My sister is diabetic and she had a hard time in the first few years managing her ketones.

PhillyBride123

This is an article I found with regards to why I had them in the beginning of my pregnancy but SOME of these point have to do with non preganant women too:

Well, ketones are substances derived from fat breakdown and are used by the body as a source of energy under emergency circumstances, like starvation or glucose deficiency in order to survive. In other words, ketones in urine are formed when the body’s fat reserves are used to generate energy.

Basically, our body gets its energy from the food we eat which gets converted into glucose or blood sugar and it is insulin which provides an easy access to this blood sugar. During, the placental hormones make the body resistant to insulin which subsequently restricts the body from getting glucose from the blood in to the cells. Hence though the blood will be enriched with blood sugar, the cells will be deprived of the required energy. As a result, the cells start accessing other energy sources like the fat stores or reserves in the body, resulting in ketones as the by product of this entire process. But what are the various causes for protein and ketones in urine during pregnancy, we will know in the following sections.

Ketones in Urine During Pregnancy: Causes
There can be various factors that may contribute to large ketones in urine during pregnancy; dehydration, bad diet to name a few. Others are enlisted below:

• Not getting enough calories from the food you are eating
• Long time intervals between meals
• Skipping meals or snacks
• Gestational diabetes
• Nausea, poor eating habits or throwing up
• Insulin resistance from hormones as a result of which, the body is unable to access blood sugar

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ketones-in-urine-during-pregnancy.html

HTH!

Brycedance

Thank you all for your responses - this is helpful & I appreciate it.