A blood ketone meter is used by people on a ketogenic diet or by people who have diabetes. You can test your blood for ketones with this type of meter. There is also a urine ketone meter but the American diabetes Association recommends blood ketone testing because it is more accurate. For anyone who suffers from diabetes, it is important to discuss with your family doctor whether you should perform ketone testing or not. Ketone testing is especially important for anyone who experiences long periods of illness.
A blood ketone testing meter is a kit that includes ketone test strips and a lancet pen. Many of these types of meters can also provide information when using a glucose test strip. The results can be downloaded onto your computer. You can find different ketone meters online or at your local drugstore. When you purchase a testing kit you will need to purchase additional ketone test strips after you have used the ones in the kit.
Glucose test strips will not test for ketones and therefore, you must purchase ketone test strips. Remember to use only the blood from your fingertip as opposed to an alternate site. Unfortunately, ketone test strips are expensive unless you have insurance coverage. Most test strips are not interchangeable and therefore you will need to purchase the correct test strips for your meter.
Test strips also have expiration dates which means that you should look for expiration dates that are well into the future. You will not receive accurate results from test strips with expired expiration dates. Do not buy previously owned test strips that are available on sites such as eBay. In fact, the FDA warns against this type of purchase. Also, the FDA provides a warning against purchasing any test strips that have not been authorized by the FDA for sale in the U.S.
Each blood ketone meter will provide instructions on how to test your blood for ketones. Most instructions include how to load the lancet pen with a test needle, the importance of washing your hands and then drying them well, how to take a test strip from the package and insert it into your particular meter, the process of inserting the needle into your fingertip, the proper amount of blood to use, how to place the blood on your test strip, and how to place the loaded test strip into the meter.
For anyone who suffers with diabetes, studies have shown that blood ketone monitoring is beneficial for decreasing hospitalizations and emergency room visits. It is also beneficial for improving the time to recover if you develop diabetic ketoacidosis. Ask your doctor to help you determine your blood ketone results and what levels will require a doctor's visit.
Ketone testing for anyone on a ketogenic diet will require 2 to 4 weeks of testing before you can figure out and tweak your diet. Some considerations besides your overall diet that can cause fluctuations include exercise and consuming fats that contain medium chain triglycerides. Also, consumption of something that is high in carbs will cause your ketone levels to crash.