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Review
. 2021 Dec 23:8:783659.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.783659. eCollection 2021.

Ketone Supplementation: Meeting the Needs of the Brain in an Energy Crisis

Angela M Poff  1 , Sara Moss  1 , Maricel Soliven  1 , Dominic P D'Agostino  1
Affiliations
Review

Ketone Supplementation: Meeting the Needs of the Brain in an Energy Crisis

Angela M Poff et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Diverse neurological disorders are associated with a deficit in brain energy metabolism, often characterized by acute or chronic glucose hypometabolism. Ketones serve as the brain's only significant alternative fuel and can even become the primary fuel in conditions of limited glucose availability. Thus, dietary supplementation with exogenous ketones represents a promising novel therapeutic strategy to help meet the energetic needs of the brain in an energy crisis. Preliminary evidence suggests ketosis induced by exogenous ketones may attenuate damage or improve cognitive and motor performance in neurological conditions such as seizure disorders, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and neurotrauma.

Keywords: brain metabolism; energy deficit; exogenous ketone; ketogenic diet; ketone.

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Conflict of interest statement

At the time of this publication: DD'A and AP are inventors on the following patents: DD'A, AP, and Patrick Arnold: “Targeting Cancer with Metabolic Therapy and Hyperbaric Oxygen” (Patent Number: 9801903). DD'A is the owner of Ketone Technologies LLC, which does consulting and public speaking events. AP is a scientific advisor to Pruvit Ventures and owner of Poff Medical Consulting and Communications, LLC and Metabolic Health Initiative, LLC. DD'A and AP are inventors on pending patent “Compositions and Methods for Weight Loss Maintenance.” DD'A is an inventor on pending patent “Prevention of Muscle Wasting with Ketone Supplementation.” At the time of this publication, pending patents were still under review. Should patents become accepted and royalties ever accrue, AP and DD'A will receive a share under the patent terms prescribed by the University of South Florida. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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