Abstract
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diet that will induce a state of ketosis, but because of its restrictive nature, it may be difficult to adhere to, especially in adolescents. Supplementing with exogenous beta-hydroxybutyrate salts may induce a state of temporary ketosis without any undesirable side effects, thereby promoting the benefits of ketosis and minimizing adherence requirements to a ketogenic diet. To date, beta-hydroxybutyrate supplementation in healthy adolescents has not been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the safety of exogenous beta-hydroxybutyrate salt supplementation in a healthy adolescent population. In the present study, 22 healthy male and female adolescents consumed 3.75 g of beta-hydroxybutyrate salts or maltodextrin placebo twice daily for 90 days. Comprehensive blood safety analysis, bone densitometry, happiness and emotional intelligence surveys, and blood pressure were assessed at Pre, Day 45, and Day 90. There were no significant differences detected in subjects supplementing with beta-hydroxybutyrate salts, indicating that exogenous beta-hydroxybutyrate salts had no detrimental impact on fasting blood safety metrics, bone density, happiness, emotional intelligence, or blood pressure. We conclude that supplementing with exogenous beta-hydroxybutyrate salts is safe and well-tolerated by healthy adolescents.
Highlights
At 15 min postprandial exogenous beta-hydroxybutyrate salts (BHB) salt consumption, six out of six (100%; blood ketones: 0.7 ± 0.1 mmol/L) subjects had reached a state of ketosis
At 60 min post prandial exogenous BHB salt sumption, two out of six (33%; blood ketones: 0.4 ± 0.2 mmol/L) subjects had maintained a state of ketosis
There is no data examining the safety of exogenous BHB salt supplementation in healthy adolescents
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Previous research has commonly described the ketogenic diet as a diet consisting of 50 g, or less, of carbohydrates per day. This typically equates to 5 to 10 percent of total caloric contribution coming from carbohydrates [1,2]. Protein intake makes up 5 to 20 percent of the diet, while fat intake contributes the largest portion, comprising 75 to 90 percent of the diet [1,2]. The purpose of the ketogenic diet is to mimic a fasted state by inducing ketosis, a metabolic state where blood ketone concentrations are between
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