Exogenous ketone supplementation: an emerging tool for physiologists with potential as a metabolic therapy

This narrative review gives an overview of the integrative physiological effects of exogenous ketone supplementation, mainly ketone salts and esters, on metabolic health, cardiovascular function, cognitive processing, and inflammatory and immune pathways. It states that much of the mechanistic research on therapeutic applications used pre-clinical rodent or cellular models that need validation in human trials. Existing human studies report that exogenous ketones can lower blood glucose and improve some aspects of cognitive function. The review also notes that long-term effects on the human cardiovascular system and lipid profiles are needed.