Age comes to us all, and the passage of years can take a toll on our bodies. Aging can lead to decreased joint function, loss of bone density, muscle mass decrease, weakening of the heart muscle, reduced connective tissue water content, slowed metabolic rate, and higher instances of disease.
Age comes to us all, and the passage of years can take a toll on our bodies. Aging can lead to decreased joint function, loss of bone density, muscle mass decrease, weakening of the heart muscle, reduced connective tissue water content, slowed metabolic rate, and higher instances of disease.
When we suffer injuries or wounds, age can prevent our bodies from healing as effectively as they once did.
However, a study Sustaining dietary ketosis to improve blood flow and wound healing in young and aged Fisher rats published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal may have found one way to combat aging. Specifically, the administration of oral ketones may be enough to speed up wound healing, increase blood flow, and promote faster recovery.
The study examined the effects of oral ketone supplementation on Fisher rats, both young and aged rats. The rats were divided into three groups: the control group received only water, while the other two received ketone precursors—medium-chain triglycerides and butanediol. These supplements were added to the rats’ diet, while the rats were allowed to continue following their usual eating habits.
The researchers monitored the rats’ abilities to heal wounds (ischemic wound-healing model), measuring the peri-wound tissue on a weekly basis. The ketones led to visible improvements in wound healing within just one week, but significant improvement by the second and third weeks.
As to be expected, the young rats healed faster than the aged rats, but the ketones did wonders to speed up healing even in the older rats. Within 11 to 14 days, the wound size had decreased significantly for both aged and young rats. According to the data, the ketone supplements helped to speed up healing by anywhere from three to ten days.
The study proved one fascinating theory: ketones (such as medium-chain triglycerides and butanediol) can lead to improved blood flow in the body, which in turn can aid in the recovery from wounds.
But it wasn’t just the young rats that saw marked improvement—the ketones were able to reverse some of the age-related impairment of wound healing and speed up recovery even among the aged rats. The aged rats healed ten days faster thanks to the ketones.
A great deal of research remains to be done before wound-healing supplements are ready for humans, but this provides a fascinating insight into the role that ketones play in recovery and healing.
