The Study
Fatty acid-independent inhibition of hepatic ketone body production by insulin in humans.
This study tested what happens when insulin levels are raised in people's blood while also giving them fat particles. It found that when insulin is high, the liver makes fewer ketone bodies (which your body uses for energy) even when fat levels are high. BUT - this was NOT a randomized trial where people were randomly put into groups. Scientists gave different treatments to different groups, so we can only say the results show an ASSOCIATION (things happening together), not that insulin DEFINITELY causes less ketone production. More rigorous studies are needed to prove causation.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Researchers gave healthy people extra fats (Intralipid) and measured how much ketone bodies their livers produced. They tested different combinations of insulin and fat levels to see how each hormone affects ketone production.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 533 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes - this matters because it shows insulin directly blocks your liver from making ketones, even when you have plenty of fat available.
- 2This helps explain why ketogenic diets work better when insulin is low.
- 3When insulin was low (~13 μU/ml) and fats were high, ketone production was 8.2 μmol/kg/min.
- 4When insulin was high (~110 μU/ml) with the same high fats, ketone production dropped to 3.8 μmol/kg/min.
- 5With low fats and low insulin, ketone production was only 0.70 μmol/kg/min.
- 6Glucagon did not change total ketone production.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The American journal of physiology
Year
1988
Authors
U. Keller, P. P. Gerber, W. Stauffacher
Related Content
Claims (6)
When healthy adults haven't eaten overnight and have low insulin levels, having higher levels of fatty acids in their blood (about double the normal amount) makes their liver produce more than twice as many ketone bodies - the molecules your body makes when breaking down fat for energy.
When insulin levels get really high in the blood (around 110 units), it strongly stops the liver from making ketone bodies (which the body makes when breaking down fats), cutting the production rate by more than half in healthy people.
When both fat and insulin levels are low, the liver makes very few ketones - this finding is from an abstract summary and full study details were not available
When doctors raise a hormone called glucagon in healthy people's blood by giving them fatty acids, it doesn't change how much ketone (a chemical the liver makes) their bodies produce.
When healthy adults have high levels of a hormone called glucagon in their blood, it causes a change in the balance of two specific ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate) during a fat infusion procedure.
When your body makes less insulin (like during fasting or on a low-carb diet), it starts producing more ketones - these are alternative fuel molecules your body can use instead of sugar.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.