Effect of Acute Nutritional Ketosis on Circulating Levels of Growth Differentiation Factor 15: Findings from a Cross-Over Randomised Controlled Trial

This randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over trial gave individuals a ketone ester beverage delivering beta-hydroxybutyrate or a placebo, with blood samples taken at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes after ingestion. It tested whether the anorexigenic hormone growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is involved in the glucose-lowering effect of exogenous ketones, and assessed eating behaviour with the three-factor eating questionnaire. GDF-15 levels did not differ significantly between the ketone beverage and placebo (p = 0.503), and this was consistent across the cognitive restraint, emotional eating, and uncontrolled eating domains.