Key result
Ketone monoester acutely decreases cardiac vagal indices pRR50 and RMSSD versus placebo.
Why the study?
Exogenous ketone supplementation can elevate heart rate, but its effects on cardiac autonomic modulation remain unclear.
Does acute exogenous ketone monoester supplementation alter heart rate variability in healthy adults?
Does acute exogenous ketone monoester supplementation alter heart rate variability in healthy adults?
Acute exogenous ketone monoester supplementation decreases heart rate variability measures associated with cardiac vagal modulation in healthy adults.
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Acute ketone monoester ingestion reduces cardiac vagal indices in healthy adults; extends RCT evidence on exogenous ketones to autonomic modulation.
Exogenous ketone supplementation can elevate heart rate (HR) but the effects on cardiac autonomic modulation remain unclear. HR variability was analyzed from 18 healthy adults (23±3 yr; n=10 females) ingesting 0.3 or 0.6 g/kg ketone monoester or placebo in a randomized crossover, double-blind design. Compared to placebo, both ketone doses increased plasma β-hydroxybutyrate and reduced the percentage of successive R-R intervals that differ by ≥50-ms (pRR50) and the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) at 45- (both p<0.02) and 120-min post-ingestion (both p<0.01). Acute ketone ingestion decreases HR variability measures associated with cardiac vagal modulation.
Thiessen et al. (2026) studied this question. Ketone monoester doses of 0.3 and 0.6 g/kg acutely elevated β-hydroxybutyrate and decreased cardiac vagal indices pRR50 and RMSSD at 45 and 120 minutes (p<0.02).
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