Tolerability and Acceptability of an Exogenous Ketone Monoester and Ketone Monoester/Salt Formulation in Humans

Fourteen healthy young adults completed five randomized crossover conditions: placebo, 5 g or 10 g of a ketone monoester (KME5, KME10), and 5 g or 10 g of a ketone monoester/salt combination (KMES5, KMES10). R-beta-hydroxybutyrate (R-BHB) rose to 2.4 mM for KME10 at 15 minutes and peaked at 2.1 mM for KMES10 at 30 minutes, while KME5 and KMES5 peaked at 1.2 and 1.1 mM at 15 minutes. R-BHB was similar to baseline in every condition by 120 minutes. Tolerability was similar between products, decreases in appetite were more frequent with KMES, and acceptability was slightly higher for KMES because aftertaste was reported more often with KME.