Ketostix Reagent Strips, 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've made the mistake of ordering off brands in the past and i've gotten multiple boxes with 'dead' strips--either the expiration date had been altered/incorrect or there had been some kind of temperature or storage mishap. Not so with the Bayer product. One important thing about purchasing an item like this though is to note the actual seller. This item (at the time of the review) is sold by one of Amazon's partner vendors. In fact, the one listed today is not the same as the one that mailed mine so do the due diligence on checking out the vendors. This also means that shipping charges may vary as can the actual product prices. The listing today is actually about 10 percent less than what I paid (oh well). Sometimes you can even find vendors that keep their stock in the Amazon warehouse system and get the products with Prime/Super Saving as well...but do pay attention as the vendor (or at least the shipping) can change between the time you add to your cart and the time you check out. In any case, for those seeking to know their ketone status, this is a nice product--easy to use, easy to read, and reliable. Recommended! JTG

When sticking to a low carb diet, it is helpful to know when you are eating the right things to stay on track. I probably tested about twice a day. I read the reviews for these strips prior to purchasing and am very satisfied with these. Accurate and very easy to use/verify ketone amounts.