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Being in ketosis means your body has
burned a large amount of fat in response to the fact that it
didn't have sufficient glucose available for energy needs. Under
everyday conditions, the carbohydrates you eat are converted to
glucose, which is the body's primary source of energy. Whenever
your intake of carbohydrates is limited to a certain range, for
a long enough period of time, you'll reach a point where your
body draws on its alternate energy system, fat stores, for fuel.
This condition called dietary ketosis, means your body burns fat
and turns it into a source of fuel called ketones. This is a
GOOD thing! Ketones are produced whenever body fat is burned.
When you burn a larger amount of fat than is immediately needed
for energy, the excess ketones are discarded in the urine.
Dietary ketosis is among the most maligned and misunderstood
concepts in nutrition because it is often confused with
ketoacidosis, which is a life-threatening condition most often
associated with uncontrolled insulin-deficient Type 1 diabetes,
but affects alcoholics as well. In the Type 1 diabetic, the
absence of insulin leads to a toxic build-up of blood glucose
and an extreme break-down of fat and muscle tissue. This
condition doesn't occur in individuals who have even a small
amount of insulin, whether from natural production or
artificially administered.
Dietary ketosis, however, is a natural adjustment to the body's
reduced intake of carbohydrates as the body shifts its primary
source of energy from carbohydrates to stored fat. The presence
of insulin keeps ketone production in check so that a mild,
beneficial ketosis is achieved. Blood glucose levels are
stabilized within a normal range and there is no break-down of
healthy muscle tissue. |
