In a previous post it was determined that if no carbs are available, our bodies start burning fat as a primary fuel source and producing ketones in the liver, which the body can turn into energy. This metabolic state, called ketosis, is what happens when someone is starving. Here Aryelle Siclait, reflects on the differences and whether there is a connection between ketosis and ketoacidosis:

 

“If you've ever seen a commercial for a diabetes drug, you've probably heard the term ketoacidosis thrown around as a potential “scary side effect.” (If not, just turn on cable at 2 a.m.—you'll find one.)

Well, keto dieters may note that the term actually sounds a lot like ketosis—in which a low-carb diet helps your body burn fat instead of carbs for weight loss.

In fact, they sound crazy similar. So…are ketosis and ketoacidosis linked at all, or are their similarities just an unfortunate spelling coincidence?

All right, what is ketosis again?

Image courtesy of: Stephen G Pearson

Ketosis typically occurs when you're eating very few carbs, like on the super-popular keto diet. (Think: 60 to 75 percent of your calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent from protein, and five to 10 percent from carbs.)

When your carb intake is that low, your body can't burn glucose (a.k.a the sugar from carbs) for energy like it normally would. So instead, it burns fat for energy, a process that then releases ketones as a byproduct, says Eric Klett, M.D. an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine and nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (This process explains why people on the keto diet see such crazy weight-loss results.)

While, yes, ketosis can have a number of effects on your body (especially if you're newly adjusting to it) like keto breath or diarrhea, going into ketosis on the keto diet is generally considered normal and safe.

So…what is ketoacidosis then?

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Ketoacidosis typically only occurs in people with untreated type 1 diabetes, according to Klett. And yes, it's very dangerous.

When a type 1 diabetic doesn't have adequate insulin to drive glucose utilization, they will start burning fat in excess and over-producing ketones in a way that goes way beyond fat-burning.

A little background: When someone has type 1 diabetes, their immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin (hence why diabetics have very low insulin levels), per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Insulin is important because it helps your body convert the glucose (mostly from the carbs you eat) in your blood into energy in your cells, per the NIDDK. But people with type 1 diabetes don't produce enough insulin for this to happen naturally.

Now, if a diabetic is taking daily insulin injections that pretty much solves the problem. If not, all hell breaks loose.”

If you would like to learn other solutions to help control your health … click here?

 

Read More … Article Source: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a25133977/ketosis-vs-ketoacidosis/

Photo By Stephen G Pearson

Photo By tedeytan