Ketone ester ingestion increases exogenous carbohydrate storage and lowers glycemia during post-exercise recovery: a randomised crossover trial

Thirteen endurance-trained men completed a randomized crossover study with two exhaustive running bouts separated by 4 hours of recovery, during which they ingested sucrose at 1 g/kg/h and whey protein at 0.4 g/kg/h. One condition added ketone monoester at 0.29 g/kg/h and the other added an isoenergetic placebo. Ketone monoester raised blood beta-hydroxybutyrate above 3.5 mmol/L compared with placebo and lowered glycemia by more than 1 mmol/L. Time to exhaustion in the second run did not differ (54 minutes with placebo, 52 minutes with ketone, p = 0.87).