8,153
edits
Changes
no edit summary
There are three important ketones involved in [[Ketogenic Diet]]s.
* '''Acetoacetic acid (AcAc)'''. AcAc is the ketone that is produced by the liver from fats and can be metabolized to provide energy. It could be considered the most directly useful of these ketones to the human body. However, AcAc lowers the blood pH, causing potential acidosis. AcAC spontaneously decomposes into Acetone (half-life 11.7 hours at 27c<ref name="HayBond1967"/>).
* '''Acetone'''. Generally is often believed to be a waste product, but it has now shown to be metabolically active. It is excreted through the breath and urine, which can sometimes be detected as a fruity smell. * '''Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB)'''. Unlike AcAc, BOHB is stable and does not change blood pH. AcAc is converted to and from BOHB in the liver and muscles. Technically BOHB is not a Ketone.
=Relative Ketone Levels=
|}
* [[Ketones]] are used by most tissues in the body with the exception of those cells that have few or no mitochondria. (more at A review of low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets)
* Cells with no mitochondria include erythrocytes, cornea, lens, and retina
* These cells are dependent on Glucose.
{{KetoSeeAlso}}
<references>
<ref name="HayBond1967">RW Hay, MA Bond, Kinetics of the Decarboxylation of Acetoacetic acid, Australian Journal of Chemistry, volume 20, issue 9, 1967, pages 1823, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/0004-9425 0004-9425], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/CH9671823 10.1071/CH9671823]</ref>
<ref name="Robinson-1980"> AM. Robinson, DH. Williamson, Physiological roles of ketone bodies as substrates and signals in mammalian tissues., Physiol Rev, volume 60, issue 1, pages 143-87, Jan 1980, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6986618 6986618]</ref>
</references>