Effect of Oral Ketone Body Intake on Human CD8(+) T-Cell Immunometabolism

In this prospective interventional study, healthy volunteers received either ketone salts or ketone esters for three weeks, and plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate, CD8+ T-cell cytokine secretion, functional responses and mitochondrial energy metabolism were measured. Ketone salts gave a short-lived rise in plasma BHB followed by increased BHB uptake in immune cells, while ketone esters gave more sustained plasma BHB without detectable intracellular BHB accumulation. A subgroup took ketone salts together with a carbohydrate-restricted, non-ketogenic diet.