Urinary Ketones Reflect Serum Ketone Concentration But Do Not Relate to Weight Loss in Overweight Premenopausal Women Following a Low-carbohydrate/High-protein Diet

Thirteen overweight premenopausal women aged 32 to 45 years consumed <20 g carbohydrate/day with liberal intakes of protein and fat for 2 weeks; thereafter, carbohydrate intake increased 5 g/week for 10 weeks. Serum-hydroxybutyrate was correlated with presence of urinary ketones, but no relationship was found between weekly weight change and serum ketone production. Urinary ketones are detected in premenopausal women complying with a low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet and are associated with serum ketone concentration.