What does positive ketones in urine mean?

Are you someone who likes to keep themselves fit, active and healthy at all times? Or perhaps you’re one of those people who just doesn’t care about staying alive for long. Hey, it’s okay; I won’t judge! But if you fall into the first category, then surely you must be concerned about every little detail when it comes to your health. Like say, when your urine starts smelling like fruity pebbles or maybe Cheerios?! That’s a big red flag right there! Why would anything sweet come out from down there unless something really bad is happening inside? Well people ’round here call that thing “Ketones”. Today let me take the stage and address what positive ketones in urine mean.

Understanding Ketones

“So what are these ketone things anyway?” You ask. In layman terms, they are organic molecules produced by our body when we break down fat for energy consumption instead of glucose (sugar/carbohydrates). Essentially this means that whenever our body runs low on glucose needed for immediate energy production (like during fasting), these guys step up their game and provide us with an alternative source of fuel. It’s like scavenging within ourselves aka being economical with resources (Yay environmentally friendly!). This whole process where we produce ketones is called ‘ketosis’.

So far so good! But sometimes too much of a good thing can lead to trouble as well.

The Hype Around Keto Diet

Nowadays keto diet has become quite popular among fitness enthusiasts & wellness gurus worldwide. If not for its alleged health benefits (debatable!), then at least because Instagram influencers get paid thousands just to post pictures while holding avocados looking like cavemen!
On a serious note though: ketogenic diets high in fats but low in carbs promote an increase in ketone production resulting from fat metabolism. This, in turn, results in seemingly rapid weight loss for some individuals.

Why Should You Care?

Now hold on to your hats cause we are about to dive into some real ‘pee talk’.
Our kidneys basically filter our blood; doing their due diligence catching all the waste materials that would otherwise be harmful for us. Similarly,if there’s anything abnormal happening inside the body,it’s portrayed through our urine as well.

Here’s an interesting yet crucial piece of information – Our kidney can’t get rid of ketones fast enough if they are produced too much and too frequently. So what does that exactly mean? Well my friend, That means positive ketones being found upon urinalysis implies a lot more than just following a high-fat diet or having been run around like Forest Gump with no food!

Positive Ketones Equals Warnings

In medical terms, this is called ‘Ketosis’. It describes a state where elevated levels of ketone bodies occur in response to pathologic or metabolic conditions
leading our body to invade itself.
It could all range from binge drinking alcohol (inhibit glucose production), fasting beyond healthy limits(dangerous!), Type 1 diabetes(high sugar level damage insulin-producing cells), consuming low carb diets without cutting down fat(excess lipolysis
) , or exhausting oneself while exercising(aerobic metabolism).Some common signs attributed by excess accumulation are fruity smelling breath(urgh…keto attracts bugs.. no kidding!) Headaches & tiredness owing to water loss and electrolyte imbalance(hello salt cravings!). Ultimately leading you towards ketoacidosis –a condition where our blood pH becomes dangerously acidic (Get out testing strips!).

Diagnosis

The first step after finding positive ketones in urine is heading straight towards getting yourself tested properly!
As previously mentioned: We diagnose it using urinalysis wherein test strips detect acetoacetate(One type of ketone) as it changes colours on contact.

What is The Ideal Range?

Ideally speaking, there should be no ketones found in normal urine which means negative for keto! But if up to 20mg/dL is found, it’s still acceptable as long as high levels of glucose are not in the picture. Values above that call for immediate medical evaluation since It can affect brain function and even lead to death !

Let’s have a look at this table below:

Normal range Acceptable Danger Zone
Negative for Ketone Up to 20mg/dl AcetoAcetate More than 80mg/dl AcetoAcetate

From this chart we can clearly see different ranges and what they indicate. If you feel you might exceed these values then its best y’all talk with “Dr.Mcceptionalone”..Our beloved physician!…

Most often people suffering from chronic conditions like Type-1 diabetes carry testing strips around them at all times so that quick diagnosis through urinalysis becomes feasible right away in case an emergency pops up!(That explains why so many of us know about this!)

Treatment

I’m sad folks but here comes the boring part – treatment!
Treatment wholly depends upon underlying causes’ severity behind your ketone production.

Some cases just require keeping yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water and taking bed rest in extreme circumstances . However,if symptoms appear more severe due to insulin deficiency or something else there would require Intravenous delivery rapidly.(Painful..but nessecary)

In summary: Awareness is key when dealing with positive ketones found within our pee streams!

Closing Thoughts

For those who believe drinking coffee from those fancy cups & implementing celery juice into your breakfast routine was enough effort towards staying healthy – Well let me tell ya champ; You have some serious catching up to do on this topic. I hope this informative article helped you understand enough about what ketones in urine mean, and the implications of elevated levels. Remember to keep an eye on your pee strikes because sometimes its little things like urination patterns that can signal us with serious issues within our bodies – Hopefully not too many Cheerios next time eh?

Cheers! ##

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