A recent study published in the Journal of American Nutrition Association demonstrates the effectiveness of the company’s proprietary C6 Ketone Di-ester – also known as Bis Hexanoyl (R)-1,3-Butanediol (BH-BD) – in inducing ketosis.
“Here, we provide the first description of blood ketone and metabolite kinetics for up to five hours after consumption of a beverage containing BH-BD by healthy adults at rest in three randomized, cross-over conditions,” said the authors of the study, which was funded by BHB Therapeutics, a partnership between Juvenescence and The Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Conditions tested on a group of eight healthy subjects were 25 g of BH-BD taken with a meal, 25 g taken while fasting and 12.5 g taken with a meal. In all cases, there was an increase in beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a ketone made by the body that provides energy and burns fat during states of fasting or through low-carbohydrate, high fat diets – i.e., the ketogenic diet.
Results also demonstrated a decrease in circulating concentrations of metabolites such as glucose and free fatty acids, as well as an increase in insulin when BH-BD was consumed with a meal.
Ketosis in minutes
In recent years, exogenous ketones delivered synthetically in supplement form have emerged as an easier and faster route to triggering a state of ketosis than more restrictive conventional methods.
“Until the development of exogenous ketones, it would take days of a strict diet or days of fasting with no food altogether in order to increase ketones,” Martin Ducker, Chief Scientific Officer at Juvenescence Life told Nutra Ingredients-USA.
“And there was no way to increase ketones in the presence of even modest amounts of dietary carbohydrates. Now, ingredients like this ketone ester allow us to increase blood ketone concentrations within a matter of minutes which allows us to use ketones in a targeted way that we hope will unlock multiple functional benefits.”
A metabolic switch for healthy aging
BH-BD is the main active ingredient in Juvenescence’s Metabolic Switch supplement that launched in 2021 with the tagline “Reimagine a lifetime”.
Potential benefits cited include sustained energy, promotion of lean muscle, support for healthy blood sugar, mental focus and immune function, and ultimately increasing longevity through a healthy and flexible metabolism.
“Now we have demonstrated the efficacy of the ingredient to increase blood ketone concentrations, we can start looking at how this modulates different clinical and functional endpoints that are of interest to healthy aging,” Ducker said.
“There are multiple areas where ketones have demonstrated promise, including physical and cognitive function as well as general metabolic health. We are currently assessing options to decide which areas to prioritize.”
Metabolic Switch is sold online in unflavored powder and a 2.5 fl. oz. Chocolate Nitro drink, with each 1.25 fl. oz. serving containing 25g of BH-BD. Previous trials demonstrated the tolerability of the ketone ester, which has received Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status from the FDA.
Source: Journal of the American Nutrition Association
2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2021.2015476
“Bis Hexanoyl (R)-1,3-Butanediol, a Novel Ketogenic Ester, Acutely Increases Circulating r- and s-ß-Hydroxybutyrate Concentrations in Healthy Adults”
Authors: Christopher D. Crabtree, et. al.
