In end-of-life care, increased ketone production during starvation can lead to what subjective state?

• A. Euphoria
• B. Confusion
• C. Anxiety
• D. Drowsiness

Answer: (A)

When starvation drives the body to burn fat, the liver makes ketone bodies that become the brain’s fuel. This shift can alter mood in a way that many people describe as a mild euphoria or pleasant sense of well‑being as the brain adapts to using ketones instead of glucose. The other states—confusion, anxiety, or drowsiness—are more likely when energy supply is severely disrupted or hypoglycemia is present, not during the early ketosis of starvation. So the subjective state most commonly associated with increased ketone production in this context is euphoria.