Tw > ed Content!!

THIS is a prime example of why fatspo is so disgusting

the people in those pictures are REAL and have feelings. its horrible that people would make fun of people for SIMPLY LIVING

me when i look in the mirror:

Hey guys, I just wanted to make a post about this since I don’t think it’s widely known and can be very dangerous.

What is ketoacidosis?

When your body doesn’t have enough sugar to burn, it burns fat instead. This is obviously what we’re all hoping for and is the basis of the keto diet—burning body fat produces ketones. However, high levels of ketones in the blood leads to lowered blood pH, which upsets your body’s homeostasis. This is called ketoacidosis (literally, high blood acidity due to increased ketones). Most commonly, ketoacidosis is a complication of type 1 diabetes caused by excessively high blood sugar levels but no insulin to use the glucose. Non-diabetic ketoacidosis is a result of starvation and can happen whether or not your blood sugar is low at the time.

Signs of ketoacidosis

Fatigue/muscle weakness

Dizziness

Confusion

Loss of appetite

Excessive thirst

Excessive urination

Blurred vision

Dry mouth

Tingling in the hands, feet, and face

Fruity-smelling breath

Kussmaul’s breathing (rapid, deep breathing; picture below)

I know that a lot of the symptoms above are also symptoms of low (or high) blood sugar, which I’m sure a lot of us experience fairly often. The Kussmaul’s breathing pattern is a pretty sure sign of increased blood acidity and doesn’t happen with hypoglycemia—watch for that especially. This is your body trying to re-regulate your blood pH by expelling as much carbon dioxide as possible.

Complications of ketoacidosis

Dehydration, which can lead to kidney or other organ damage

Low potassium, which can lead to heart problems

Fluid in the lungs

Swelling in the brain

Seizures

Coma

Death

What to do?

REST!!! Stop making your body burn through its fat stores or ketones will just keep building up in your blood!!

Eat something with sugar!!! Real sugar!! I know it’s scary but you need glucose to burn right now!!

Drink lots of water!!! You’re losing fluid, help your kidneys out!!

If you’re not improving, GO TO THE HOSPITAL!!!! You’ll most likely be treated with insulin and supplemental glucose. This will help kickstart the normal glucose-burning process.