Effects of acute ketone monoester ingestion on heart rate, blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest and stress in healthy adults

In a randomized, double-blind crossover study, 19 participants (mean age 23, nine female) ingested a ketone monoester (0.4 g/kg) or an isocaloric placebo. Blood pressure, heart rate, brachial artery blood flow, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA, measured in 14 participants) were assessed at rest and during static handgrip exercise and mental arithmetic. Capillary beta-hydroxybutyrate rose at 20 and 40 minutes after the monoester (both p < 0.001), but resting mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and MSNA burst frequency did not differ from placebo.