Ketosis Symptoms

Ketosis is a condition in the body, when there are abnormally high levels of the acidic compounds, commonly known as ketone bodies, in the blood. This occurs when the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. Ketosis and ketosis symptoms are often confused with diabetic ketoacidosis. However, diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition, where a severe deficiency of insulin, as seen in type 1 diabetes, leads to a toxic build up of blood glucose, accompanied by excessive breakdown of fat and muscle tissue. However, such alarming levels of ketone bodies are not seen in healthy individuals.

Causes of Ketosis
The most common cause of ketosis is invariably dieting. People that go on a sudden low-carb diet often complain of weight loss being accompanied by ketosis symptoms. In fact, this is one of the main symptoms seen when a person switches over from a highly glycemic diet to a diet that does not provide sufficient glycogen stores. This is when the body enters into a stage of ketosis. Initially, the brain does not burn ketones, but even after two days, if carbohydrates are not included in the diet, the brain starts burning ketones so as to directly utilize the energy from its fat stores, thus, preserving glucose only for dire conditions, and preventing breakdown of the body's protein and muscle. Although still debatable, this stage of ketosis is considered relatively harmless. In fact, sometimes ketosis is deliberately induced in the ketogenic diet, which is used to treat epilepsy. However, prolonged ketosis is harmful for the body and is highly discouraged. Prolonged ketosis symptoms are often seen in people that turn to fad diets for weight loss.

Ketosis Symptoms
Symptoms of ketosis often seen in people are:

• One of the most characteristic of all symptoms of ketosis, is the presence of a sickly sweet smelling, fruity breath. This peculiar smell is due to the presence of acetone bodies. This bad breath may be offensive to some people, but is a classic sign of ketosis
• Tiredness and fatigue is often seen in the initial stages of ketosis
• Headache
• Excessive thirst
• Weakness and dizziness
• Nausea and stomach aches, accompanied by abdominal pain
• Problems with sleeping
• An easy confirmatory test for ketosis would be to test the urine for ketone bodies. If a person feels that the breath is fruity, then he can purchase special ketosis strips that are easily available in the market and test the urine for ketone bodies. The strip will change color, when it comes in contact with ketone bodies. This is a feasible way of confirming ketosis symptoms.

Doing Away With Ketosis Symptoms
The easiest way of reversing ketosis is by including carbohydrates in your diet. In fact, regular snacking will help mitigate ketosis symptoms to a large extent. A high protein diet, with protein rich snacks and protein shakes, is also highly recommended for relieving headaches and other symptoms. Also, it is important to keep the body hydrated by drinking adequate amount of water to help dilute the urine, thus, helping in flushing out the ketone bodies. Plus, be sure to add all the vital minerals and vitamins in the diet.

Controversy Surrounding Ketosis and Ketosis Symptoms
Most people claim that going into ketosis and exhibiting ketosis symptoms is not a reason for alarm, and simply denotes a different and specific phase of metabolism that the body is going through. This is the main reason that people still strongly advocate going in for low-carb diets, and even claim that certain organs, like the heart and kidneys, function better when they directly get energy from ketosis. However, some researchers claim that ketone bodies are acidic compounds, and their accumulation in the blood could lead to toxicity. It is an aggravation of ketosis symptoms that leads to the potentially life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis.

So, this was all about ketosis symptoms, causes and their treatment. Since it is still debatable as to whether it is safe to be in a stage of ketosis or not, it is best to play safe by not letting the body go into ketosis. So instead, opt for healthy ways of weight loss for a healthy and long life!