Ketone Levels

There are three important Ketones involved in Ketogenic Diets, Acetoacetic acid (AcAc), Acetone, and Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB).

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1 Levels

• Some evidence from treating childhood epilepsy suggests that when blood ketones are over 2 mmol, urine ketones rise to 4+.
• Urine ketone levels vary with the time of day, often being lower in the morning
• The ratio between AcAc and Acetone appears reasonably constant, and is based on the spontaneous, one way decomposition of AcAc into Acetone.
• The ratio of AcAc to BOHB is rather more varied and may change with Ketoadaptation.

2 Example levels

From "Physiological roles of ketone bodies as substrates and signals in mammalian tissues":

Situation	Ketone Levels (Blood levels of AcAc + BOHB)
Fed	~0.1
Fasted 12-24 Hours	Up to 0.3
Fasted 48-72 Hours	2-3
Fasted 5-6 weeks (plateau)	~8
Post exercise	Up to 2
Late Pregnancy	Up to 1
Late Pregnancy, fasted 48 hours	4-6
Neonatal	0.5-1.0
Hypoglycemia	1-5
Controlled diabetes	Up to 25

3 See Also

• The classifications and types of Low Carbohydrate Diet.
• An introduction to the Ketogenic Diet.
• My experiences with ultrarunning on the Ketogenic Diet
  • How the Ketogenic Diet can be used for the treatment and management of disease.
    • Using the Ketogenic Diets to mitigate and treat Epilepsy
    • How Ketogenic Diets might help with Cancer
    • A look at the possible mechanisms of action of the Ketogenic Diet
  • Health Risks of the Ketogenic Diet
    • Health Checks for the Ketogenic Diet
    • Supplements for the Ketogenic Diet
  • The time frame and changes that occur with Ketoadaptation
  • What are Ketones
    • How to measure Ketones
    • What ketone levels to aim for
  • The pros and cons of the Ketogenic Diet for athletes
    • The Science of Ketogenic Exercise
  • The Types of Ketogenic Diet
    • The "traditional" Ketogenic Diet based on the Ketogenic Ratio
      • The ways the Ketogenic Ratio can be calculated
        • The different definitions of Net Carbohydrates
    • Low Glycemic Index Treatment
    • MCT Diet
      • MCT
    • Modified Atkins Diet (M.A.D.)
• My Ketogenic Recipes
• Non-Ketogenic Low Carbohydrate Diets