Can a Low-Carb Diet Affect DUI Test Results?

Your Diet May Get You Arrested

Low-carb diets reportedly lead to health benefits such as weight loss and reduced blood sugar levels, but did you know that such diets can trick a DUI breath test into producing falsely high results?

When you get pulled over on the suspicion of DUI, an officer may administer a breath test to measure your blood alcohol concentration (BAC), but they know little about the food you consume. Many officers won’t know or care if your diet consists of low amounts of carbohydrates, but it matters more than they might assume. Something as simple as your diet can affect the outcome of your DUI breath test, so it’s important to understand why. It can make all the difference in your case.

Ketosis & DUI Charges

Ketosis is a metabolic process that burns stored fats and other proteins when there are low amounts of carbohydrates in the body. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates for your body to break down, then your body will resort to burning stored fats and proteins, producing ketones.

Ketones are a dangerous byproduct of ketosis when you’re dealing with a DUI accusation. This is because the chemical composition of ketones is similar to isopropyl alcohol that the breath test can mistake for ethyl alcohol, the kind you drink.

Thus, an officer may find that your BAC levels are higher than they are in reality because the breath test “confused” your ketones for alcohol. You may be completely sober but still suffer a DUI charge due to your false breath test readings.

However, the side effects of ketosis are similar to those of a person who consumed alcohol:

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Nausea
• Poor physical performance
• Bad breath

For a free legal consultation, call (517) 316-1195

Ketosis as a DUI Defense

Breathalyzer tests aren’t as advanced as many people believe, and low-carb diets are one of several examples demonstrating the flaws and mistakes in DUI breath test results. Luckily, our Okemos DUI lawyers are well-trained on the procedures, equipment and imperfections involved in DUI stops and can leverage that knowledge to fight to prove your innocence.

A low-carb diet and subsequent production of ketones can hurt your BAC test results, producing an excessively high number that doesn’t accurately represent your BAC at the time of your arrest. Thus, our DUI attorneys are prepared to utilize this fact as a defense in your case, among other hard-hitting strategies.

Contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 to arrange a free case review for your DUI charge. We are here for you every step of the way!