Ketone Monoester Supplementation Effects on a Comprehensive Cognitive Test Battery Following Non-Exhaustive Exercise

Mosquera Lopez, E ORCID: 0000-0002-0505-0352, Harrison, JE ORCID: 0000-0002-5648-146X, Louis, J ORCID: 0000-0002-9109-0958, Pugh, J ORCID: 0000-0002-5930-4709, Amorginos, AM ORCID: 0009-0002-0674-2681, Tsukioka, M, Hobday, N, Roberts, JW ORCID: 0000-0001-6204-5325 and Areta, JL ORCID: 0000-0001-6918-1223 (2025) Ketone Monoester Supplementation Effects on a Comprehensive Cognitive Test Battery Following Non-Exhaustive Exercise. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 10 (1). pp. 24-34. ISSN 2509-3290

Preview

Text Ketone Monoester Supplementation Effects on a Comprehensive Cognitive Test Battery Following Non-Exhaustive Exercise.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Ketone monoester (KME) supplementation has been suggested to preserve or enhance cognitive performance, but its effects across cognitive domains during non-exhaustive exercise remain unclear. We aimed to investigate whether KME improves cognitive performance during moderate-intensity exercise in healthy young men. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 9 recreationally active healthy males (mean ± SD: age: 26 ± 5 year, V̇O2max: 47 ± 4 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed two experimental trials involving 90 min of cycling at 60% V̇O2max. Participants consumed either KME or tasted-matched placebo (PLA) drinks around exercise (total 0.75 g·kg−1). A comprehensive cognitive test battery (CTB) of validated tests assessed memory, attention, inhibitory control, and visual processing before and after exercise (tests included delayed recall, spatial span, digit span, endogenous and exogenous covert shift of attention, Stroop task, psychomotor vigilance task, global form perception, and global motion perception). Post-exercise blood β-Hydroxybutyrate concentrations were higher in the KME (3.3 ± 0.5 mM) vs. PLA (~ 0.1 ± 0.0 mM; P < 0.01). Only global motion perception showed a time x condition interaction (P = 0.044), whereby KME rescued the decay observed in PLA. Moderate-intensity exercise of 90 min did not affect other cognitive performance metrics (P > 0.05) and KME did not enhance cognitive function relative to PLA in any other domain tested (P > 0.05). KME supplementation during 90-min of moderate-intensity non-exhaustive exercise preserved global motion perception but did not improve other cognitive performance in healthy young males.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Cognitive performance; Cycling; Ketosis; Ketone monoester; 5202 Biological Psychology; 52 Psychology; Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities; Basic Behavioral and Social Science; Behavioral and Social Science; Physical Activity; Clinical Research; Neurosciences; 6.1 Pharmaceuticals; 3209 Neurosciences; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology; 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Springer
Date of acceptance:	10 December 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	10 August 2026
Date Deposited:	10 Aug 2026 14:12
Last Modified:	10 Aug 2026 14:12
DOI or ID number:	10.1007/s41465-025-00341-5
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29137

View Item