Extremely high results using Ketonix

[Evlogimenos]

Hi Ketonix users,

I am suspecting that my Ketonix is measuring too high results. I am positive that my measuring technique (breathing technique) is correct (normal calm breath prior, exhale to 20% left, slow smooth steady 30 sec exhale of the remaining air to as empty as possible). It is my belief that the results I am getting should only be possible after a really long fast. I have done the ketogenic diet for five days with some intermittent fasting, but the measuring results are, what they seem to me, through the roof.

See attached photo. The spike from 200 to 500 is after a keto cacao with a lot of MCT. I would have at least expected my level of ketosis to be within

the gauge (0-100 ppm), not 140-500.

Is there anything that can explain the results? I do not use alcohol.

Kind regards

Bendik

[brownfat]

MCT oil can strongly spike ketones. You might clarify how much is a “lot”. And why are you taking it?

[PaulL]

Unless you are a Type I diabetic and not taking your insulin properly, you have virtually no risk of diabetic ketoacidosis.

[Elliot-W]

What is keto cacao? I assume there is some sort of sweetener in it if there is cacao powder. Maybe there are sugar alcohols used to sweeten it, like erythritol. Also, testing breath too soon after eating or drinking can throw off the test device I wouldn’t worry too much about your ketone levels after five days of changes in your eating. Keep your carbs under 20 grams and eat plenty of fatty unprocessed foods. Once you are fat adapted, your excess ketone production will drop and your breath measurements will become more consistent.

[Shortstuff]

with a lot of MCT.

Well there’s your answer…

[amwassil]

I suspect something other than acetone is causing the meter to react. If you had BrAce anywhere near 500ppm you’d smell like a can of paint thinner, your entire body not only your breath. It’s also possible the device is damaged. I’d give yourself a day or two to ‘flush out’ whatever is in you. To test your device take a measurement first thing upon awakening in the morning before you consume anything, preferably 10-12 hours after your last food of the day before. You should get a relatively low reading.

[BuckRimfire]

I think the Ketonix is a joke. Mine is in a drawer somewhere. I almost always read very high (which was probably not correct, since I’m not usually very strict in my diet), and they are a false positive generator. If you want to measure ketones, get a Keto-Mojo or similar device.

Some old comments of mine:

Keto diet to lose fat not muscle / weight?

Don’t. I got a cheap one, which sometimes gave me a modest reading, but other times a zero when I couldn’t understand why that would be. I didn’t really trust it. Then I asked for a Ketonix for Xmas since at least it would head off my wife from getting me a present I wanted even less. I get REALLY high readings most of the time. Either I’m a keto champ or I’m eating too many carbs. “Wait, what?” you say? How can a high reading mean both of those things? Well, my daughter, who lives only …

A new take? Increase dietary fat to reduce impulsivity/binge eating

I have three ketone testers: a KetoIQ $13 BAC tester (since last fall), a Ketonix (since last winter), and a KetoMojo (since last month). I just tested with all of them. The KetoIQ said zero, the Ketonix said about 45 aka mid-yellow-arc (before the huge bounce up that always occurs right after the end of the blow, which went OFF the top of the red zone in the scale) and the MetoMojo said 0.5 mM. The KetoIQ is pretty much useless. It always reads for me either zero or 0.4 mM, although I forgo…

[ctviggen]

I have personally given up on any ketone testing. The blood tests are okay, but I can get different results using different versions of the same meter. Comparing readers from two different manufacturers, they also can read differently.

For the Ketonix, I still have my version 1, and it reads very low now, but then again, so does everything:

I got down to 0.1-0.2 mmol/l blood ketones every morning before I gave up.

I still use my ketonix, since it’s on my desk at work. Most days, I’m between 20-35 or so. NOTE: not PPM, as I can’t get it to use that scale. I’m basically never in the “green” zone of ketosis.

[MarkGossage]

Just a word of caution… might be the “flozin” medications too

https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4147

[PaulL]

As the authors of the study themselves admit, serum glucose is not usually elevated when ketoacidosis is caused by an SGLT-2 inhibitor. This is the first article I’ve read where ketoacidosis caused by an SGLT-2 inhibitor was called “diabetic” ketoacidosis. The only term I have encountered up to now in my reading on SGLT-2 inhibitors was “euglycaemic” ketoacidosis, precisely because serum glucose is generally not elevated.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a phenomenon of Type I diabetes that occurs in the absence of insulin. The rise in serum ketones is invariably accompanied by a rise in serum glucose, because there is no insulin being secreted to control either of them.

Euglycaemic ketoacidosis is a different phenomenon, with a different cause. I believe there may be a couple of other drugs that can cause it, in addition to the SGLT-2 inhibitors (though I am not sure about this), and it can also occur when a pregnant or lactating woman on a ketogenic diet tries to fast.

[MarkGossage]

Euglycaemic ketoacidosis

OK fair enough … however both can be dangerous so …

[PaulL]

That is very true, and I hope I have not given the impression of believing otherwise. I just think the difference in aetiology is significant and feel that using the identical term to describe both conditions is not helpful. (Pardon me, while I take the authors of that article out and slap them around a bit. )

This is in contradistinction to fatty liver disease, which is caused by overloading the same metabolic pathway in the liver, regardless of whether we do it with ethanol, fructose, branched-chain amino acids, or some combination of all three. So to me, it’s all simply “fatty liver disease.”

[amwassil]

This may be of interest.

ketones-30-day-study.pdf

[ctviggen]

Discussion on Twitter between Amber O’Hearn and Dave Felman. Ms. O’Hearn thinks low GKI = Low RQ. If that’s true, I always have high RQ, at least in the mornings, because my GKI is abysmally high then. Higher blood sugar, lower ketones. In fact, I doubt I ever get low GKI unless I fast multiple days.