A Metabolic Intervention for Improving Human Cognitive Performance During Hypoxia.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Small placebo-controlled crossover trial
PubMed 34503629 · doi:10.3357/AMHP.5767.2021
What was done
Eleven participants completed a cognitive performance test battery under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions (minimum oxygen saturation ranged between 63% and 88%) after consuming either an exogenous ketone ester (KE) drink or a placebo control drink in a pilot study.
What was found
Hypoxia alone significantly lengthened blink duration (partial eta squared [Ph2] = 0.665), decreased blink rate (Ph2 = 0.626), and disrupted performance on a code substitution task (Ph2 = 0.487). Ketone ester consumption exerted significant counteracting effects during testing on blink duration (Ph2 = 0.270) and code substitution performance (Ph2 = 0.309).
Why it matters
Supplying an alternative metabolic brain substrate via oral ketone esters may help preserve select cognitive and neurophysiological functions during acute hypoxic exposures encountered in aviation or extreme environments.
Limits
The study was a very small pilot trial (n=11). The abstract does not specify randomization procedures, blinding details, sex distribution, or full cognitive battery metrics beyond blink parameters and code substitution.
Cited by
- supports Administration of exogenous ketones without dietary changes improves cognitive retention during acute hypoxic exposure at altitudes between 15,000 and 20,000 feet.