Brain And Ketone Bodies

                                                                       

                                                                    Marceli Nencki

1880s – Marceli Nencki (1847–1901) and colleagues introduced the collective term “ketone bodies” to describe the three related compounds:

• Acetoacetic acid (AcAc)

• β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB)

• Acetone

                                                              Ketone Bodies 

 George Owen & Colleagues (1967, 1969)

1. 1967 – Owen et al. studied obese patients undergoing prolonged starvation (up to 5–6 weeks).

   • Found that blood glucose levels fell but stabilized at a low, safe range (~65–70 mg/dL).

   • Despite low glucose, patients remained alert and neurologically intact, suggesting another fuel source.

2. 1969 – Owen, Morgan, Kemp et al. (J Clin Invest, 1969)

• Directly measured arterial–jugular venous differences across the brain.

• Demonstrated that during prolonged fasting, the brain actively took up ketone bodies (β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate) in proportion to their blood concentrations.

• Showed ketone bodies could supply up to two-thirds of the brain’s energy needs, reducing glucose demand

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