Attenuation of Blood Glucose by the Ketone Monoester (R)-3-betahydroxybutyrate Glyceride in Healthy Male Sprague Dawley Rats in Response to a Standard Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

Efficient glucose uptake by peripheral tissue is important for individuals who desire to maintain optimal wellbeing. Various methods to regulate postprandial blood glucose have been reported in the research literature, however, few have examined the effect of ketone esters on blood glucose levels. The present study evaluated blood glucose following the administration of an oral glucose tolerance test, with and without ketone esters delivered at two different dosages, in a sample of healthy Sprague-Dawley rats. We hypothesized that the ketone esters would lower the glucose Area Under the Curve (AUC) in response to oral glucose ingestion, in a dose dependent manner. A single dose ketone monoester (Tecton Ketone) was given to healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats 30 minutes prior to glucose administration to determine the blood glucose response to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Twenty-four SD rats were randomly assigned equally to four groups (two control and two ketone). Blood was analyzed for glucose pre-treatment, before glucose loading at baseline, and at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after glucose loading. Ketone esters at 20 g HED significantly reduced the AUC for blood glucose (by ~21%) compared to glucose-loading control. In this group, the most robust differences occurred at the 30- and 60-minute post ingestion times—with an approximate 50% reduction at 30 minutes post ingestion (p < 0.05) and low variability in response. Although blood ketone levels were not assessed, the preliminary results from this study demonstrate that ketone esters at 20 g HED attenuate the glycemic response to an OGTT in animals, suggesting that ketone esters may one day be promising not only for those with impaired glucose tolerance but also for healthy individuals who seek enhanced glucose regulation. More research is needed in this area, especially in human subjects, to evaluate the generalizability of these findings.