Researchers outline strategy for testing ketone bodies against COVID-19

Given the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has on older adults in terms of death and lasting disability, and the impact of common aging-related comorbidities like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, Buck Institute professor and practicing geriatrician John Newman, MD, Ph.D., can make a compelling argument that those infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus are suffering from an aging-related disease, no matter how old they are when they get infected. In a review published in Med, a Cell Press journal, Newman and a consortium of colleagues encourage researchers studying aging, metabolism, and immunity to turn their attention to ketone bodies, which are being widely studied for their roles in aging and aging-related diseases. The research team views ketone bodies as a possible therapeutic against COVID-19, seasonal flu and other respiratory infections.