Hemp Guidebook: Ketones
With Keto being such a big deal, it’s a wonder I didn’t address Ketones earlier! That’s right, today’s article will be about the Ketones that can be found within Hemp.
Ketones are an essential part of our daily lives, despite not being mentioned much in non-medical literature.
I want to take a look at where you can find them, and see if they exist in places that our other minerals and vitamins do. Since Hemp contains so many important compounds, I think it’s a great idea to see how we can fit them all together.
Specifically, we will research what exactly Ketones are and what they do. This will include an idea of how many you need and what happens if you are deficiency or over consuming them.
Let’s get started with the basics!
What are Ketones?
Ketones are described as naturally synthesized chemicals that occur within the human boy. They are vitally essential for your daily activities. As innocuous as they might seem to the everyday person, misaligned ketone levels can have widely adverse effects for the human body.
Our bodies run primarily on a substance called glucose which is created from Carbohydrates and Sugars. It acts as the fuel that keeps us going. When Glucose levels are low, or if you have diabetes, the liver may be forced to break down fat to use as fuel. When this happens, ketones are formed as by-products.
This is also the idea behind the keto diet, in which you deplete your body’s source of glucose via low-carb diets and fasting in order to burn fat as your primary fuel.
Whenever fatty acids are broken down, ketones are produced. These levels are kept under control by your hormones, glucagon and insulin for those those who do not have diabetes. Those who are Diabetic, do not have glucagon or insulin at the necessary levels though. In situations such as this, if left untreated, ketone concentrations may significantly increase which will result in health complications.
Ketones have a single function; provide energy for the body. Coming back to the idea of Keto Diets, which allow the body to produce higher ketone amounts, they promise weight loss while retaining your energy. I do advise caution with these diets as many have been debunked or proven false.
Healthy Levels
To get an idea of how many ketones you should have, it is important to understand the unit of measurement for them.
These are called mmol or millimoles. Millimoles are 1/1000 of a Mole which is simply a unit of measurement.
Healthy ketone levels are between 0.6-1.5mmol/L. When these levels reach 1.6-3mmol/L it is considered to be over the normal amount but not necessarily unhealthy.
If your ketone levels are above 3.0 you may begin to experience dry mouth, excessive thirst, and your energy levels may start to actually decrease.
It is possible to test your ketone levels via blood tests, but also using urine tests at home!
Ketone Deficiency
It is possible to have too few ketones within your body. When you start to run dry of these, you may start to experience some uncomfortable symptoms.
Among these are confusion and dizziness, along with occasional fainting. The consequences of Ketone Deficiency are nowhere near as dangerous as an overabundance though.
If you do start to feel nauseated or dizzy, especially after your insulin injections if you’re a diabetic, there are chances that your levels are too low.
Too many Ketones
On the flip-side, we have a situation where the body has more ketones than it knows what to do with.
This problem is much more common in those experiencing diabetes. Issues with insulin can exacerbate the problem making it much worse than those who do not have diabetes.
Too much ketones makes your blood acidic, a condition which is known as Ketoacidosis. If your blood becomes too acidic, it will begin to damage your vital organs and draw great amounts of energy from your body as your system attempts to alkalize your blood.
In addition to this, those who have too many have experienced diabetic comas, occasional spells of syncope, and if left untreated, Death.
If your average blood sugar levels are higher than 240mg/dL, a blood test to check your ketones is seriously recommended.
In Conclusion
Ketones are very important for your daily well-being. Your body will automatically produce them during your day. For the most part you won’t have to worry about changes in the amount you have available.
Taking something like MCT Oil or CBD Oil or both will be beneficial to your body since they’ll temporarily boost your ketone count and provide a sudden increase in energy and focus!
If you have diabetes then I’m sure you’re already aware that fluctuations in ketones can be dangerous. I won’t patronize you and say to “Always check your blood sugar levels” since it’s likely that you could tell me more about ketones than I already know!
As always though, if you are feeling sick you should go see a medical professional.
When it comes to substances with ketones, our Hemp Extract provides a double dose! Because Enlita makes a Full-Spectrum product and produces it with MCT Oil, there are extra ketones to be had!
Thank you so much for reading, you are CALLED to WELLNESS. Accept nothing less!
-Luke Schlag, Calledwellness.com
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