The janus face of ketone bodies in hypertension
Tiago J Costa, Braxton A Linder, Seth Hester, Milene Fontes, Laena Pernomian, Camilla F Wenceslau, Austin T Robinson, Cameron G McCarthy, Tiago J Costa, Braxton A Linder, Seth Hester, Milene Fontes, Laena Pernomian, Camilla F Wenceslau, Austin T Robinson, Cameron G McCarthy
Abstract
Hypertension is the most important risk factor for the development of terminal cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and atherosclerosis. Lifestyle interventions to lower blood pressure are generally desirable prior to initiating pharmaceutical drug treatments, which may have undesirable side effects. Ketogenic interventions are popular but the scientific literature supporting their efficacy is specific to certain interventions and outcomes in animal models and patient populations. For example, although caloric restriction has its own inherent difficulties (e.g. it requires high levels of motivation and adherence is difficult), it has unequivocally been associated with lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients. On the other hand, the antihypertensive efficacy of ketogenic diets is inconclusive, and this is surprising, given that these diets have been largely helpful in mitigating metabolic syndrome and promoting longevity. It is possible that side effects associated with ketogenic diets (e.g. dyslipidemia) aggravate the hypertensive phenotype. However, given the recent data from our group, and others, reporting that the most abundant ketone body, β-hydroxybutyrate, can have positive effects on endothelial and vascular health, there is hope that ketone bodies can be harnessed as a therapeutic strategy to combat hypertension. Therefore, we conclude this review with a summary of the type and efficacy of ketone supplements. We propose that ketone supplements warrant investigation as low-dose antihypertensive therapy that decreases total peripheral resistance with minimal adverse side effects.
Conflict of interest statement
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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Source: PubMed