beta-Hydroxybutyrate test

beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB)

About the parameter

beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is one of three main ketone bodies that the liver produces to provide energy to muscles and other tissues when glucose levels are low. In diabetic individuals, those ketone bodies can build up in the blood-stream and lead to diabetic ketoacidosis – a life-threatening condition, if untreated.

Not only is BHB produced at a higher rate than the other main ketone bodies, but also predominantly at the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis, making it a reliable early phase detection marker.