Why heavy drinking exposes you to rare 'alcoholic ketoacidosis'

Preventing AKA is simply by limiting alcohol intake or eliminating it all together. [iStockphoto]

Alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA) is the buildup of ketones (type of acid that forms when the body breaks down fat for energy) in the blood due to heavy alcohol use.

It was first diagnosed about 40 years ago, and has since received a great deal of notoriety due to increased culture of alcohol abuse.