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Ketone Dose and Cerebral Blood Flow Study

NCT06032156 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 20

Last updated 2026-02-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Ketone bodies are produced by the liver during periods of food scarcity or severe carbohydrate restriction. Blood ketones are an alternative fuel source used by the brain, heart, and skeletal muscle during periods of fasting. Further, ketones bodies act as a signalling molecule that have pleiotropic effects that upregulate cellular stress-resistance pathways throughout the body.

Oral supplements containing exogenous ketones have recently become available and represent a novel tool for increasing plasma ketone bodies without the need for dietary restriction. Early evidence suggests that oral ketone supplements may enhance cerebral blood flow and improve cognition. However, the dose-dependent effects of a single ketone supplement on cerebral blood flow and cognition in young adults is currently unknown.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the effects of ingesting a high versus low dose of an oral ketone monoester on cerebral blood flow, circulating blood markers, and cognition in young adults.

As an exploratory aim, this study will investigate how oxygen uptake kinetics during submaximal exercise are impacted 2 hours after ingestion of a ketone supplement. Recent findings indicate that ketone supplementation may impair exercise performance due to the physiological stress (i.e., pH disturbances) imposed by an acute ketone dose. Delaying exercise onset by 2 hours after ingestion of a ketone supplement may enhance oxygen kinetics in a dose-dependent manner.

Conditions

  • Cerebrovascular Function
  • Cognition

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Low Dose β-OHB

Ingestion of a low dose \[R\]-3-hydroxybutyl \[R\]-3-hydroxybutyrate (0.3 g β-OHB/kg body weight) followed by 2-hours of rest. Submaximal exercise to be performed following 2-hour resting measures.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

High Dose β-OHB

Ingestion of a high dose \[R\]-3-hydroxybutyl \[R\]-3-hydroxybutyrate (0.6 g β-OHB/kg body weight) followed by 2-hours of rest. Submaximal exercise to be performed following 2-hour resting measures.

OTHER

Placebo

Ingestion of a taste-matched calorie-free placebo drink followed by 2-hours of rest. Submaximal exercise to be performed following 2-hour resting measures.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Jeremy J Walsh, PhD · McMaster University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
35 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-11-08
Primary Completion
2024-05-30
Completion
2024-08-30

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Entities

Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06032156 on ClinicalTrials.gov