Reagent Strips for Urinalysis, Measure Ketone Levels, 100-Count Box

I bought these strips to help me on the induction phase of my low-carb diet. They are easy to use and it is, for the most part, easy to tell if I am in ketosis or not. If you're not, it's a pretty obvious negative. If you are, the strip turns pink (for "trace" amount of ketones, which is the most you'll ever get on a low-carb diet).I test my pee in the morning, and it's fun to start the day off with an indication that I did well on my diet the day before!I think that these strips won't be effective forever, because in "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living," the authors mention that after a few weeks of ketosis, the body begins to adapt."Within a few days of starting on carbohydrate restriction, most people begin excreting ketones in their urine."...But over a matter of weeks, the muscles stop using these ketones for fuel. Instead, muscle cells take up acetoacetate, reduce it to betahydroxybutyrate, and return it back into the circulation. Thus after a few weeks, the predominant form in the circulation is beta-hydroxybutyrate, which also happens to be the ketone preferred by brain cells (as an aside, the strips that test for ketones in the urine detect the presence of acetoacetate, not beta-hydroxybutyrate)."In the kidney, this process of keto-adaptation is also complex. Over time, urine ketone excretion drops off, perhaps to conserve a valuable energy substrate (although urine ketone excretion never amounts to very many wasted calories). This decline in urine ketones happens over the same time-course that renal uric acid clearance returns to normal (discussed below) and thus may represent an adaptation in kidney organic acid metabolism in response to sustained carbohydrate restriction. These temporal changes in how the kidneys handle ketones make urine ketone testing a rather uncertain if not undependable way of monitoring dietary response/adherence. Testing serum for beta-hydroxybutyrate is much more accurate but requires drawing blood, and it is expensive because it is not a routine test that doctors normally order."(Phinney, Stephen; Volek, Jeff (2011-07-08). The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable (pp. 164-165). Beyond Obesity LLC. Kindle Edition.)So actually, if after a few weeks the strips say you're not in ketosis, it just may be a sign that your body has adapted to the low-carbohydrate diet, which is what you want.I've only been using them for about a week, so we'll see what happens in a few weeks. But for now, waking up and peeing on the strip and seeing it turn pink is very encouraging!

During a dental visit I discovered I had very high blood pressure and decided to immediately do a responsible, low-carb Atkins/ketogenic type diet as I knew being overweight was the cause. When the body switches from burning carbs to burning fat the liver produces ketones, which are acidic in nature. Keeping ketones in balance during a low-carb diet is essential, thus these 'pee strips' which allow you to measure where your body is in the process. They are simple to use - they are about 3" strips with the active part on the end. Hold the end in a 'pee stream' and it will turn a color based on ketones in the urine - the color gauge is on the side of the bottle and is simple to read. A great way to monitor your metabolism/liver output - and I've lost 15 pounds and my bp is 140/80 - but I'm on my way to losing 30 pounds. If I didn't have these to monitor my body I'd probably go all out protein which is not good, so these allow me to have some carbs and maintain balance. Good product, delivered timely!

Yesterday I tested the concentration of ketones in my urine for the very first time with Ketostix - I urinated in a plastic, dipped the stix in/out and in 15 seconds it read dark pink (moderate). I had been on a 25g net carb diet for the past five days so I knew this was accurate. I'm only 10-15lbs abdominal fat away from reaching the perfectly flat abdomen I've always wanted. I'm male so abdominal fat is the very last to go in us men.I am very skeptical by nature - so I had my mother test her urine and it read negative - as expected - because she was not on a ketogenic diet like me (she's on a regular diet but starting today she will follow my diet!).This product is important for us ketodieters because - when we try new low-carb/carb-free products (e.g. bread, tortillas, cereal), this thing can tell us whether those food products truly have the amount of carbs they claim. In other words, this thing allows us to know when we may need to get rid of a certain food that may be interfering with ketosis.With this - I can now check for sure if those new food products that claim to be low-carb/carb-free really are genuine!!Happy customer!

I have used three different brands and these are by far the best. I used Relion from Walmart and they were good and I used CVS brand which were the worst.

Probably the best option for ketone test strips, but pricier than alternative brands.I've been on and off the keto diet for almost a year now, and in that time I've gone through multiple bottles of ketone test strips. These are easily the most consistent/high quality test strips, providing very clear and evening coloring upon contact with the urine stream.My only issue is that there are many other brands out there that provide similar test strips at a cheaper price - they definitely work and tell you whether you are in ketosis or not, but sometimes the quality control leaves a bit to be desired since the coloring may be uneven on the little square chemical part.However, since I usually only use strips to tell whether I am in ketosis or not (and don't particularly care about how concentrated the ketones are in my urine), I will most likely be purchasing from other brands going forward. Unfortunately, this is not something I feel is worth spending the extra $$$ on.

I use these for assisting in a low carb diet. I test for Ketosis daily and they definitely help keep me on track better than without-- it takes the guessing out it. Foolproof to use, results are instant and the colors are bright and easy to read. There are cheaper varieties out there which I have also tried but these are the fastest and they seem to be more accurate and reliable. Cheaper brands have given me results all over the place. If you use 1 or 2 a day a box will last you a long time.