Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Sep 11 2023 TAKEOFF will recruit a total of 180 people at the Buck, Ohio State University and the University of Connecticut Center on Aging.
Ketones, naturally occurring compounds, increase when the availability of dietary carbohydrates are limited, forcing the body to use fat instead of sugar for energy. Various forms of fasting and the popular high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet can put people into ketosis. Both have been linked to several health benefits, including weight loss, a reversal of metabolic syndrome and reduced inflammation.
Collaborators at Ohio State University, led by Jeff Volek, PhD, will be looking in detail at muscle function and metabolism among participants. Scientists at UConn Center for Aging, led by Jenna Bartley, PhD, will take a deep dive into immune responses with a particular interest in immunosenescence and chronic inflammation. The Buck will be looking closely at changes in various blood biomarkers of aging during the course of the trial.
Related StoriesThe Network's efforts to standardize outcome measurements was spurred by designing the TAME trial, which would aim to see whether taking the popular diabetes drug metformin can delay development of age-related chronic diseases in older adults without diabetes. "There is such an explosion of interest in testing interventions that could impact aging that it became obvious that we need to be able to compare apples-to-apples when it comes to trial results," said Newman.