Providing alternative fuel for the brain in anorexia nervosa: a review of the literature on ketones and their effects on metabolism and the brain

This literature review summarizes knowledge on the physiology of ketones and related molecules and on their role in energy balance, brain and behaviour. It then considers the role ketones might play in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa and how exogenous ketones and ketone precursors might affect brain and behaviour in that illness. The authors present a hypothesised model of the potential role of ketones in anorexia nervosa.