Some individuals can never get past trace ketosis, while others always seem to show
darker readings. There seems to be little rhyme or reason as to why some individuals will always
show deep concentrations of urinary ketones while others will not. Some will show higher urinary
ketones after a high fat meal, suggesting that dietary fat is being converted to ketones which are
then excreted. Consuming medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) has the same effect. Other
individuals seem to only register ketones on the stick after extensive aerobic exercise. Finally,
there appear to be daily changes in ketone concentrations, caused by fluctuations in hormone
levels. Generally ketone concentrations are smaller in the morning and larger in the evening,
reaching a peak at midnight. Many individuals report high ketones at night but show no urinary
ketones the next morning while others report the opposite.
No hard and fast rules can be given for the use of Ketostix (tm) except not to be obsessive
about them. In the same way that the presence of ketones can be psychologically reassuring,
the absence of ketones can be just as psychologically harmful. It is easy to mentally short-
circuit by checking the Ketostix (tm) all the time.
A popular idea is that the deeper the level of ketosis as measured by Ketostix (tm), the
greater the weight/fat loss. However there is no data to support or refute this claim. While some
popular diet authors have commented that urinary ketone excretion means that bodyfat is being
excreted causing fat loss, this is only loosely true in that ketones are made from the breakdown of
fat in the liver. The number of calories lost in the urine as ketones amounts to 100 calories per
day at most.
Anecdotally, higher levels of urinary ketones seem to be indicative of slower fat loss.
Individuals who maintain trace ketosis seem to lose fat more efficiently although there is no
research examining this phenomenon. A possible reason is this: high levels of ketones in the
bloodstream raise insulin slightly and block the release of free fatty acids from fat cells. This
seems to imply that higher levels of ketones will slow fat mobilization.
The ideal situation would seem to be one where trace ketosis (as measured by Ketostix
(tm)) is maintained, since this is the lowest level of ketosis which can be measured while still
ensuring that one is truly in ketosis. This should be indicative of relatively lower blood ketone
concentrations, meaning that bodyfat can be mobilized more efficiently.
How to use Ketostix (tm)
To measure the level of urinary ketones, the Ketostick should be removed from the
package and then the package closed. The reagent end of the stick should not be touched. The
Ketostick should be passed through the stream of urine, wetting the reactive end of the stick.
After 15 seconds have passed, the stick is compared to the chart on the side of the bottle of
Ketostix (tm) giving a rough indication of the concentration of urinary ketones.
Again, please note that the lack of urinary ketones does not automatically mean that one
does not have ketones in the bloodstream, simply that no excess are being excreted. Some
individuals will show urinary ketones initially but show negative ketones at later tests. Assuming
that something has not been done that would disrupt ketosis, such as eating carbohydrates,
dieters should not assume that the lack of a reaction on the Ketostix (tm) means that they are
out of ketosis.