What should my ketone levels be?

One of the most common questions I get is “what should my ketone levels be?” This is a great question. You’d obviously want to know what the optimum level of ketones in your blood should be. Getting and keeping your ketones at the right level is important when looking for weight loss, increased insulin sensitivity, increased energy, lowered blood sugar, lowered blood pressure and all the other benefits of a ketogenic diet. I’ve created an easy to use visual that will help you figure out where you are at and where you want to be.

In short, .5 mmol/l is the beginnings of ketosis. At this stage you will start to feel many of the benefits of a ketogenic diet. It may take a few days to get over the shock to your system but once you are fat adapted it will feel great. The major goal that most people shoot for is 1.5 mmol/l. At that range you are in the optimum fat burning zone. Once you hit 3.0 mmol/l you won’t have any additional fat burning by going higher, but it isn’t dangerous to go above that level. Many do go higher, especially if they are on an extended fast or if they are new to the ketogenic diet. A word of caution. You can see the ketoacidosis at the far end of the scale. That is a very rare occurrence and really only experienced by those with diabetes. It is marked by a very high blood sugar rate as well as a high level of blood ketones. If you happen to have very high ketone levels, getting up into the 9.0 + mmol/l level, go ahead and check your blood glucose as well just to make sure you are on track.

Thanks, let me know if you have any questions on this or any other topic, I’m here to help!

Adam

Learn more:

What Older Adults Need to Know About Ketogenic Diets

Which Type of Ketogenic Diet is right for you?

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