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Metabolic response to a ketogenic breakfast in the healthy elderly

  • JNHA: Nutrition
  • Published:
JNHA - The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging

Abstract

Objective

To determine whether the metabolism of glucose or ketones differs in the healthy elderly compared to young or middle-aged adults during mild, short-term ketosis induced by a ketogenic breakfast.

Design and participants

Healthy subjects in three age groups (23±1, 50±1 and 76±2 y old) were given a ketogenic meal and plasma -hydroxybutyrate, glucose, insulin, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acids and breath acetone were measured over the subsequent 6 h. Each subject completed the protocol twice in order to determine the oxidation of a tracer dose of both carbon-13 (13C) glucose and 13C- -hydroxybutyrate. The tracers were given separately in random order. Apolipoprotein E genotype was also determined in all subjects.

Results

Plasma glucose decreased and -hydroxybutyrate, acetone and insulin increased similarly over 6 h in all three groups after the ketogenic meal. There was no significant change in cholesterol, triacylglycerols or non-esterified fatty acids over the 6 h. 13C-glucose and 13C- -hydroxybutyrate oxidation peaked at 2–3 h post-dose for all age groups. Cumulative 13C-glucose oxidation over 24 h was significantly higher in the elderly but only versus the middle-aged group. There was no difference in cumulative 13C- -hydroxybutyrate oxidation between the three groups. Apolipoprotein E ( 4) was associated with elevated fasting cholesterol but was unrelated to the other plasma metabolites.

Conclusion

Elderly people in relatively good health have a similar capacity to produce ketones and to oxidize 13C- -hydroxybutyrate as middle-aged or young adults, but oxidize 13C-glucose a little more rapidly than healthy middle-aged adults.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center on Aging, Health and Social Services Center — Sherbrooke University Geriatrics Institute, Sherbrooke, Canada

    E. Freemantle, M. Vandal, J. Tremblay-Mercier, M. Plourde & S. C. Cunnane

  2. Departments of Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada

    E. Freemantle, M. Vandal, J. Tremblay-Mercier, M. Plourde & S. C. Cunnane

  3. Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, McGill University, Sherbrooke, Canada

    J. Poirier

  4. 1036 Belvédère S., Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, J1H 4C4

    S. C. Cunnane

Authors
  1. E. Freemantle
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  2. M. Vandal
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  3. J. Tremblay-Mercier
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  4. M. Plourde
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  5. J. Poirier
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  6. S. C. Cunnane
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. C. Cunnane.

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Freemantle, E., Vandal, M., Tremblay-Mercier, J. et al. Metabolic response to a ketogenic breakfast in the healthy elderly. J Nutr Health Aging 13, 293–298 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-009-0026-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-009-0026-9

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