{
  "id": "gki",
  "version": "e8c8d676ed38",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "GKI Calculator",
  "question": "What is my GKI ratio?",
  "summary": "Works out the glucose ketone index (GKI): blood glucose divided by blood ketones (β-hydroxybutyrate), both in mmol/L, with glucose in mg/dL or mmol/L.",
  "category": "health",
  "subcategory": "nutrition",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/health/gki-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/health/gki-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "GKI = glucose (mmol/L) ÷ ketones (mmol/L) = glucose (mg/dL) ÷ (18.016 × ketones (mmol/L)).",
  "assumptions": [
    "Glucose and ketones are blood readings taken at the same time.",
    "Ketones are blood β-hydroxybutyrate in mmol/L (not urine or breath ketones).",
    "Glucose mg/dL ÷ 18.016 = mmol/L, the factor in the GKI paper."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "unit": {
        "title": "Glucose unit",
        "description": "The unit of your glucose meter: mg/dL (United States) or mmol/L.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "mgdl",
          "mmol"
        ]
      },
      "glucose": {
        "title": "Blood glucose (mg/dL)",
        "description": "Your blood glucose reading in mg/dL.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 20,
        "maximum": 600
      },
      "glucoseMmol": {
        "title": "Blood glucose (mmol/L)",
        "description": "Your blood glucose reading in mmol/L.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 1.1,
        "maximum": 33.3
      },
      "ketones": {
        "title": "Blood ketones (mmol/L)",
        "description": "Your blood β-hydroxybutyrate reading in mmol/L, from a blood ketone meter, taken at the same time.",
        "type": "number",
        "minimum": 0.1,
        "maximum": 10
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "gki": {
      "label": "Glucose ketone index",
      "description": "Glucose (mmol/L) ÷ ketones (mmol/L).",
      "format": "number"
    },
    "reading": {
      "label": "Reading",
      "description": "Where the GKI falls in the paper’s description.",
      "format": "text"
    },
    "glucoseMmolL": {
      "label": "Glucose (mmol/L)",
      "description": "The glucose in mmol/L: mg/dL ÷ 18.016.",
      "format": "number"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "unit": "mgdl",
      "glucose": 80,
      "glucoseMmol": 4.5,
      "ketones": 2
    },
    "outputs": {
      "gki": 2.2202486678507993,
      "reading": "Above 2: above the paper’s zone of metabolic management",
      "glucoseMmolL": 4.440497335701599
    },
    "text": "Glucose and ketones of these readings give a glucose ketone index of 2.2."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "unit": "mmol",
        "glucoseMmol": 4.5,
        "ketones": 4.5
      },
      "expect": {
        "gki": 1,
        "reading": "1.0 or below: the paper’s target for brain tumor management"
      },
      "source": "Meidenbauer JJ, Mukherjee P, Seyfried TN, The glucose ketone index calculator: a simple tool to monitor therapeutic efficacy for metabolic management of brain cancer, Nutr Metab 2015;12:12 (GKI = glucose mmol/L ÷ ketone mmol/L; mg/dL ÷ 18.016), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4367849/ (retrieved 2026-10-05); hand calculation in content.mdx: 4.5 ÷ 4.5 = 1.0"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "unit": "mgdl",
        "glucose": 80,
        "ketones": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "gki": 2.2202486678507993,
        "glucoseMmolL": 4.440497335701599
      },
      "source": "Meidenbauer JJ, Mukherjee P, Seyfried TN, The glucose ketone index calculator: a simple tool to monitor therapeutic efficacy for metabolic management of brain cancer, Nutr Metab 2015;12:12 (GKI = glucose mmol/L ÷ ketone mmol/L; mg/dL ÷ 18.016), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4367849/ (retrieved 2026-10-05); hand calculation in content.mdx: 80 ÷ 18.016 = 4.4405 mmol/L; 4.4405 ÷ 2 = 2.22"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "unit": "mgdl",
        "glucose": 95,
        "ketones": 0.5
      },
      "expect": {
        "gki": 10.546181172291298,
        "reading": "Above 2: above the paper’s zone of metabolic management"
      },
      "source": "Meidenbauer JJ, Mukherjee P, Seyfried TN, The glucose ketone index calculator: a simple tool to monitor therapeutic efficacy for metabolic management of brain cancer, Nutr Metab 2015;12:12 (GKI = glucose mmol/L ÷ ketone mmol/L; mg/dL ÷ 18.016), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4367849/ (retrieved 2026-10-05); hand calculation in content.mdx: 95 ÷ (18.016 × 0.5) = 10.55"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "Meidenbauer JJ, Mukherjee P, Seyfried TN. The glucose ketone index calculator: a simple tool to monitor therapeutic efficacy for metabolic management of brain cancer. Nutrition & Metabolism. 2015;12:12, retrieved 2026-10-05. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4367849/",
    "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetic Ketoacidosis, retrieved 2026-10-05. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/diabetic-ketoacidosis.html"
  ],
  "related": [
    "keto",
    "homa-ir",
    "a1c"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}