Being in dietary ketosis increases your ketone levels, which are detectable in your breath, urine and blood 5. When you restrict or limit carbs from your diet, your body produces ketones from fat, resulting in the physiological state of ketosis. You can purchase urine strip kits over-the-counter at your local pharmacy and supermarket, as well as online. The strips typically expire within three to six months after opening, so keep in mind how often you intend to use them 7.
If you want to check your urine ketones day-to-day, stick with a specific time, like in the morning or several hours after your last meal of the day, for best comparison 8. The color corresponds to the concentration of ketones in your urine, which can range from no ketones to high concentrations. The darker the color, the higher your ketone levels. Urine strips are an easy and convenient way to measure ketosis.
Follow the directions on the kit for the most accurate results. Ketone blood meters are a reliable and accurate way to measure the ketones in your body 9 , 10 , Originally designed for people with type 1 diabetes, they also appeal to those following a ketogenic diet as a more accurate way to measure ketosis 7.
You can usually find blood strips at any place that carries urine strips. However, you will need a meter to read the blood strips as well. Many blood glucose readers will also read blood keto strips, even though the glucose strips are different from the keto strips. A preferable blood level of ketones for dietary ketosis is 0. Measuring the ketones in your blood is a more accurate but also more expensive way of measuring ketosis.
But as you get deeper into ketosis, your body adapts to using ketones for fuel and becomes more optimized in producing them, leaving less unused If you want a more accurate reading, blood keto strips are a better option. For healthy individuals, it can take several days on a keto diet to go into ketosis and a few more weeks thereafter to become keto-adapted 5.
Some people mistake the keto diet for being low in carbs and high in protein. But consuming too much protein will not allow your body to enter ketosis For comparison, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that people get 16 :.
Usually, consuming less than 50 grams of carbs per day will get you into ketosis. Exogenous ketone esters such as monoesters containing the ketone body BHB will result in rapid, high ketone levels, equivalent to a multi-day fast or weeks of ketogenic dieting.
Most are used for energy, and the pattern of metabolism is quite different from that of endogenous ketone production. Only a small amount of exogenous ketones are excreted.
Stubbs It has also been shown that at higher blood ketone levels, urinary ketones no longer correlate with blood BHB. As we will discuss later, urinary ketone testing might become less accurate over time, such as if you consistently follow a ketogenic diet for many weeks or months. In this case, your metabolism has just changed, something reflected in the strips. This is why ketones will appear in the urine. At this point, it is possible that a larger amount of ketones are reabsorbed and used for energy, and less will appear in the urine.
Sapir One study indicated that during fasting, the amount of AcAc and BHB increased exponentially as the fast grew longer. Sapir The same study indicated that there exists no maximal transport rate in the kidney for AcAC during physiological ketosis.
This is definitely a beneficial adaptation during periods of starvation, since during an actual food shortage, the body would need to conserve more ketone bodies and we might see the same thing in those adhering to a keto diet. As you become more keto adapted, skeletal muscle actually starts to oxidize fatty acids directly.
Where blood testing might give a high ketone reading, urine test strips might tell another story. If you want to improve the accuracy and reliability of your results, there are a few key tips you should follow if you plan to use urine ketone test strips. Typically, test strips will expire within six months of opening the bottle. Storage is important too.
Make sure that you store test strips with the lid closed tight, and keep the bottle in a cool, dry place. Any excess heat or moisture can influence the strips and the chemicals they contain. Do not store in the refrigerator, and protect them from direct sunlight and heat.
The desiccant holds something called silica gel, which absorbs and holds water vapor, limiting moisture that could potentially ruin the urine test strips. This is why early morning testing makes the most sense.
Otherwise, test at the same time of day in order to control for outside influences that might affect urine ketone readings. Last but not least, keep your hands away from the test strip material.
Along with the above tips, this will improve the consistency of your results. The first way involves measuring blood BHB. As the name suggests, this test will give you a reading of how much beta-hydroxybutyrate is in your blood.
This test involves using a BHB meter, and provides the most accurate ketone measurement available that can be purchased by consumers directly. You should also probably have some alcohol swabs around to clean the area before pricking your finger and after you have gotten your blood sample.
Get a drop of blood, place it on the strip, and feed the strip into the meter. Advantages of blood testing include the accuracy of measurement.
Blood testing also gives you a quantitative reading of BHB in millimolar; mM. Disadvantages of blood testing include the need to purchase a device and the strips, which can get costly. The test is also more invasive, requiring a fingerstick to get the drop of blood. This could become bothersome to some people. The final measurement involves breath testing for acetone.
This test device is a newer type of consumer product that measures the amount of acetone excreted in the breath. This involves the one-time purchase of a ketone breath meter from one of several companies that have made these devices available. Breath meters are also less accurate than blood or urine testing, and only measure acetone, rather than the two ketones most prominent in the circulation: AcAc and BHB.
Very few studies have been done to validate breath meters or confirm their accuracy. This area of ketone testing is in its early stages. Whether or not you opt to use urine test strips will depend on your goals: What do you want to actually measure?
How long have you been on a ketogenic diet? Another caveat is that those on a long term ketogenic diet may find less and less utility from urine ketone testing as time goes on. Urine strips might help you find out. Overall, urine ketone testing gives a quick, practical, and somewhat effective snapshot of ketosis.
The low-carb, high-fat keto diet has been shown to improve body composition and increase endurance performance. But getting into ketosis is difficu Monitoring ketone levels in urine is important for both diabetics and those waiting to maintain ketosis.
Here's what to look for, how to test and t VO2 max might be the truest representation of endurance fitness there is. While elite runners and cyclists train their bodies to use a high volume Are all calories created equal? Not on the keto diet. Weight loss has emerged as a primary incentive for going keto. That's not driven by the amoun This article dives into the history of the k BHB stands for beta-hydroxybutyrate, one of the three main ketone bodies.
It's a clean-burning energy source for both the body and the brain. Usually, the darker the color the deeper you are into ketosis. Cuellar Gilmore explained to Women's Health that urine levels are generally indicative of the levels found in blood. Blood ketones should measure 0. Blood keto strips are similar to urine except they require pricking your finger for a blood sample.
According to Gilmore, the strips aren't percent reliable. Hydration can affect the concentration of ketones in your urine, which may give an incorrect reading. Although the urine strips aren't precise, they can give you an idea whether you're eating too many carbs. Blood ketone tests provide better results. Test at the same time every day to get a baseline. This will help you compare progress, says health coach and keto expert Karissa Long.
She recommends testing twice a day at different times. Perfect Keto : These earn high marks from more than 3, reviewers on Amazon.
Smackfat Ketone Strips : This popular kit comes with a color guide right on the bottle so you can easily read results.
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