Ketones
Also called ketone bodies, blood ketones, urine ketones, ketosis.
Ketones are acids the liver makes when the body burns fat for fuel because there is not enough insulin. When too many build up too fast they reach dangerous levels, which is DKA. They can be checked with urine strips or a blood ketone meter; in one 6-month trial, blood checks cut hospital or emergency visits by about half compared with urine checks. (CDC; ADA Standards of Care 2026, section 6)
Worked example
During a cold, glucose reads 260 mg/dL (14.4 mmol/L). That is above the 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) at which ADA asks people at risk of DKA to check ketones when they are ill.
Related terms
Sources, quoted
- CDC: “Instead, your liver breaks down fat for fuel, a process that produces acids called ketones.”
- CDC: “When too many ketones are produced too fast, they can build up to dangerous levels in your body.”
- ADA Standards of Care 2026, section 6: “provided with appropriate tools for ketone measurement (urine and/or blood ketone tests)”
- ADA Standards of Care 2026, section 6: “Use of blood ketone monitoring compared with urine ketone monitoring in a single 6-month randomized controlled clinical trial reduced the risk of hospitalization/emergency room management by approximately 50%”
- ADA Standards of Care 2026, section 6: “Individuals at risk for DKA should measure ketones in the presence of symptoms and potential precipitating factors (e.g., illness, missed insulin doses, eating disorders), particularly if glucose levels exceed 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L).”
Every quote above is checked against its source page before each update of this site; last checked 2026-10-06. The worked example is our own arithmetic. This page explains a term; it is not advice for a person's treatment.