Can Ketosis from a Low-Carb Diet Really Skew Breath Test Results?
It is possible that ketosis from a severely low-carb diet could skew breath test results. The reason lies in the science of how your body generates energy and the science of how breathalyzer tests work.
What Is Ketosis?
When people switch to a diet that is very low in carbohydrates, their bodies no longer have enough carbs to convert into glucose for energy. Instead, their bodies turn to fat for energy. The human body can break down fat, but it produces waste products called ketones when it does so, during a process called ketosis. To get rid of the ketones, the body sheds them in the urine and the breath.
If the body is making a lot of energy from fat – as it does when people severely restrict carb intake – ketones build up in the body. The levels of ketones present in the urine and breath become very, very high compared to people eating more carbohydrates.
How Can Ketones Skew a Breath Test?
One type of ketone is acetone. The chemical that acetone breaks down into, isopropanol, has a very similar chemical composition to the type of alcohol that breathalyzers are built to detect.
Some older breathalyzers may not have been able to tell the difference between ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol) and isopropanol. As a result, the breathalyzers could show very high blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) for people who had not had a drink. Supposedly, modern breathalyzers can tell the difference. But it is still possible that drivers could get false positive readings on their breathalyzer tests because of high levels of ketones.
Positive Breathalyzer? What to Do
If you have been arrested for DUI because you tested positive on a breathalyzer test, you need a lawyer. A qualified Oklahoma DUI defense lawyer can review your breathalyzer test results and the other circumstances of your case to develop a defense. Aside from the possibility that the breathalyzer might have registered a false positive, there are many other ways to show that drivers did not commit DUIs or to reduce their possible sentences.
Have you been charged with a DUI while on a low-carb diet in Oklahoma? Clint Patterson, Esq., of Patterson Law Firm, a former Tulsa prosecutor now using his trial experience and expert-level knowledge of DUI science to defend drivers, can advise you on your next steps. To schedule a case evaluation, visit Patterson Law Firm online or call Clint’s office at (918) 550-9175.