Urine dipsticks are not accurate for detecting mild ketosis during a severely energy restricted diet.
Alice Anne GibsonElif I ErogluKieron B RooneyClaudia HarperSally McClintockJanet L FranklinTania P MarkovicRadhika V SeimonStuart M GrievePublished in: Obesity science & practice (2020)
Urine dipsticks are not an accurate or clinically useful means of detecting mild ketosis in people undergoing a severely energy-restricted diet and should thus not be recommended in clinical treatment protocols. If monitoring of mild ketosis is indicated (eg, to monitor or help promote adherence to a severely energy-restricted diet), then blood monitors should be used instead.