Ketones in my urine?

[Kouros]

I went for my yearly phsical today and everything was fine except the doctor said there were some ketones in my urine. He did not seem too concerned. Is this the beginning of diabetes or something else?

[Silk]

If you're a diabetic, it's potentially bad news. If you're on a low-carb diet, it's great news...

[mdevine]

Ketones in the urine is a nonspecific finding and does not indicate diabetes. Although they are elevated in conditions such diabetic ketoacidosis, it can result from such innocuous things as dieting, exercise and fasting. Your doctor would have checked your blood sugar at your physical and this would be the best indicator of whether or not you have diabetes. If your blood sugar was borderline, he/she could do a glucose tolerance test or HbA1C level.

[Jim]

The internet is a very poor place to get medical advice- Please see your doctor.

[Stubblefield]

Ketones in you urine is an indicator of ketosis, which (put simply) is the burning of fat for your body's energy needs. If you do not eat a lot of carbohydrates, this is perhaps to be expected. Perfectly natural, tho you should talk to you Dr.

[toucanlamp]

The internet is a very poor place to get medical advice- Please see your doctor.

Doctors love to tell you that. I remember seeing a doctor and he actually seemed truly agitated that I had researched an issue myself.

And then he told me the exact same thing as I read on web-md.

[dpm802]

The internet is a very poor place to get medical advice- Please see your doctor.

When I need medical advice, my first consultation is always with Doctor Google. Even when I go see a real doctor in person, I research what he says on my own to get a better understanding of what he's talking about.

While there are numerous sources of accurate information available online, I do agree that any advice given in a non-medical forum like this one should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Leche]

Well it doesn't mean much by itself. Ketones can be expected in low carb diets as already pointed out or they can be an indicator of an insulin problem. Was a blood glucose level performed? Are you having other issues such as fatigue, excessive thirst or hunger, etc. A glucose tolerance test, while a pain, will clear the air. I firmly believe that issues arising from diabetes are simply a mismanagement issue.

[luvmysuper]

Is it just me, or does Ketones sound like a 60's Motown group?

Johnny Lather and the Ketones.

Ask your doctor my friend - your going to get as varied answers here as you do when you ask about razor blades.

Such diversity of opinion is great when you're looking at razor blades, but not when you're looking for medical advice.

[toucanlamp]

When I need medical advice, my first consultation is always with Doctor Google. Even when I go see a real doctor in person, I research what he says on my own to get a better understanding of what he's talking about.

While there are numerous sources of accurate information available online, I do agree that any advice given in a non-medical forum like this one should be taken with a grain of salt.

the doctor just sees that as you stepping on his turf, it's the exact same kind of thing as the immense effort put forth by the Financial services industry to convince you and me that investing is way to complicated for average peons like us, so you better just let them stick it in a 3% management fee mutual fund if you want to avoid dying poor and alone.

There's actually really great resources online for getting an idea about something you might have thoughts about. But, if you do that the doctor doesn't get to bill you $100 for a 5 minute vist.

[Too Tall]

Are you well hydrated and do you or did you workout hard before the test?

[Kouros]

Are you well hydrated and do you or did you workout hard before the test?

My urine was very dark that day so I was a little dehydrated.

[roughneck]

My wife is a family doctor and I work in a hospital medical lab. Many things can cause you to have ketones in your urine, most of which have been discussed. If it were serious I would hope that your doctor would give you a little more information about the causes and what health risks are. If you do not feel comfortable not knowing then I would give he or she a call and ask why they think it may be present in your urine. When I am performing urinalysis it is not uncommon to have several that are weakly positive for ketones and are non diabetic patients. As far as Google M.D. goes, my wife would say its a good place to learn about a diagnosis but not a good place to get one.

[Go West Young Man]

You're talking about 2 different things, guys. The internet is a good place to research background info, but diagnosis and treatment need to be done in concert with a real-life doctor.

[Too Tall]

My urine was very dark that day so I was a little dehydrated.

ding dong (answer bell).

Given this, it is more likely you've answered the question. As others said, the interweb is not the place you want to be getting medical questions answered. FWIIW I know that smell too well. My weekend exercise often consists of 80 to 100 miles bicycle rides and if I'm not REALLY ontop of hydration that day and in the days prior this happens to some degree.