Question

A diabetic, who does not utilize insulin properly, will metabolize fats instead of glucose. A condition called diabetic ketoacidosis is a common result of excessive fat metabolism, causing blood pH values of 7.1 or less (normal range is 7.35-7.45). What has happened to the blood pH and why?A) The pH is below normal because buffers can donate OH. B) The pH is above normal (basic) because the ketones are too basic, C) The pH is not affected because the blood buffers can absorb the excess H⁺. D) The pH is below normal (acidic) because the buffering capacity was exceeded.

Answer 1

Answer:The correct answer to the question is option D

THE PH IS BELOW NORMAL (ACIDIC) BECAUSE THE BUFFERING CAPACITY WAS EXCEEDED.

Explanation: When insulin is being utilized well by a diabetic,glucose is metabolized because the insulin administered helps the body cells to pick up glucose from the food we eat and convert it to energy for the body to work with and function well.But when insulin is not being utilized properly by a diabetic,fats are metabolized instead of glucose that is to say that,the cells in the body are not sensitive to the glucose supplied by the food we eat which makes the body to be hypoglycemic (low blood glucose level),the body inorder to raise the blood glucose level starts breaking down stored fats in the body at a rate that is higher than normal inorder to provide energy, the liver then processes the broken down fats into a fuel that is known as ketones, these ketones are released into the blood causing the blood to be acidic,the buffering property of blood on a normal note is suppose to resist the changes in the PH of the blood,but when the buffering capacity is exceeded,there won't be any resistance to the change in the blood PH which will inturn lower the blood PH level making it acidic.

This is exactly what happened to the diabetic being described in the question.