Effect of Acute Ketone Monoester Ingestion on Psychomotor Vigilance During Acute Severe Hypoxia
Ketone monoester ingestion attenuated the hypoxia-induced decline in mean reaction time during simulated high-altitude exposure in healthy males.
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What the study showed
Blood R-βHB exceeded 3 mM rapidly and was sustained throughout the protocol, while blood glucose was ~20 mg/dL lower versus placebo. Mean reaction time on the psychomotor vigilance test was approximately 25.5 ms faster with KME during hypoxia. Heart rate increased with hypoxia equally across both conditions.
How it was done
Double-blind crossover in 16 male participants; each visit involved normoxia (20.9% O₂) followed by simulated hypoxia (9.7% O₂, ~6,096 m) using a reduced oxygen breathing device, with KME (650 mg/kg) or taste-matched placebo ingested beforehand.
Risk of bias
Sample size is small (n=16) and exclusively male, restricting generalizability. The abstract is truncated, preventing full assessment of all reported outcomes and effect sizes.
What this study does NOT prove
One cannot conclude that ketone monoester improves cognition at real-world altitude or in populations outside this study's profile.
In clinical practice
Evidence is laboratory-based and preliminary; it does not support operational or clinical recommendations for ketone supplementation in hypoxic environments.
Limitations
Sample size is small (n=16) and exclusively male, restricting generalizability. The abstract is truncated, preventing full assessment of all reported outcomes and effect sizes.
Technical appendix
Version history
- 1.0 · 2026-08-07 — Auto-generated under Evidence Standard v1.0
Paid access: structured summary from public metadata; consult the original study at the source.