β-hydroxybutyrate as an Anti-Aging Metabolite.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search methodology or original clinical data
PubMed 34684426 · doi:10.3390/nu13103420
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative review summarizing literature on β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB) metabolism, its signaling and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms (such as histone methylation, acetylation, and β-hydroxybutyrylation), and its potential application via endogenous production or exogenous supplementation in age-related diseases.
What was found
The abstract reports no primary quantitative data or statistical effect sizes. It qualitatively describes β-HB as an alternative energy substrate for peripheral tissues (brain, heart, skeletal muscle), a signaling molecule that modulates lipolysis, oxidative stress, and neuroprotection, and an epigenetic modifier implicated in delaying age-related pathologies.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes the conceptual shift regarding ketone bodies from simple metabolic fuels to active signaling molecules and epigenetic regulators in the context of geroscience.
Limits
This is a non-systematic narrative review providing no original empirical data, sample sizes, or quantitative outcomes. Direct clinical evidence and safety parameters for human longevity interventions are not established in the abstract.
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