ketosis

American  

[ki-toh-sis] / kɪˈtoʊ sɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. the accumulation of excessive ketones in the body, as in diabetic acidosis.

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ketosis British  

/ kɪˈtəʊsɪs /

noun

1. Also called: acetonaemia.  pathol a high concentration of ketone bodies in the blood

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Etymology

Origin of ketosis

First recorded in 1915–20; ket- + -osis

Compare meaning

How does ketosis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ketogenesis vs. ketosis

Explanation

When the body runs out of carbohydrates to burn for energy, it burns fat instead and goes through a process called ketosis. When someone is fasting, it's not uncommon for their body to enter a state of ketosis. The process has been studied by scientists and found to be useful in treating some kinds of diabetes and epilepsy. Sometimes people eliminate certain kinds of carbohydrates from their diet in order to put their body into ketosis, as a way of burning fat. Ketosis adds the medical -osis suffix, meaning "a state of disease," to ketone, the chemical name for the molecules produced by the liver during ketosis.

Example Sentences

"We now have the first evidence in humans that the cysts really don't like to be in ketosis and that they don't seem to grow."

From Science Daily • Dec. 11, 2023

The crux of a keto diet is ketosis, which is "a metabolic adaptation to allow the body to survive in a period of famine," per dieticians from the University of Chicago Medicine.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2023

“The question is: How do you get there?” asks Freeman about ketosis, the metabolic state your body is in when it burns fat instead of carbs.

From Washington Post • Aug. 12, 2021

The odor is caused by ketones, chemicals produced when the body begins to burn fat instead of glucose for energy, a metabolic state known as ketosis.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2021

The diet causes people to go into ketosis, which encourages the body to burn fat due to the lack of carbs being eaten.

From Fox News • Jan. 10, 2019