Endocrine Abstracts

During starvation, ketone bodies acetoacetate and 3-D-hydroxybutyrate are freely soluble energy substrates made by the liver. Their major role is to supply an alternative glucose substrate for the brain under conditions of medium- and long-term energy restriction. The most common cause of pathological ketoacidosis is poorly controlled type 1 diabetic mellitus triggering uncontrolled hyperglycaemia. Other common causes are alcoholic ketoacidosis and fasting ketosis. In non-diab...