What is glucose ketone index?

The Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) is a measure that tracks the relationship between blood glucose and ketones, typically used to assess the degree of ketosis in an individual. It's calculated as the ratio of glucose to ketone levels, both measured in millimoles per liter (mmol/L). A GKI of one to two, where glucose and ketone levels are fairly balanced, is seen as ideal for maintaining therapeutic ketosis, particularly for health outcomes like cancer management 1.

The concept of GKI was popularized by researchers like Professor Thomas Seyfried, who utilized it to measure the stability of metabolic conditions in therapeutic contexts, such as starving cancer cells in ketosis, based on the understanding that cancer is a metabolic disease 2 3.