# A β-hydroxybutyrate shunt pathway generates anti-obesity ketone metabolites

*PRI Rank #20 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Adipose Tissue and Metabolism Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/adipose-tissue-and-metabolism/2026/rank-20*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #20 |
| 18m citations | 54 |
| Journal | Cell |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.032 |
| Corresponding authors | Yong Xu, Jonathan Z. Long |
| Institution | Stanford University, United States |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Adipose Tissue and Metabolism Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/adipose-tissue-and-metabolism/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.032](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.032)

## Topics

Ketone bodies · BHB · Ketone bodies · CNDP2 · enzymatic conjugation · amino acid BHB-ylation · BHB-amino acids · BHB shunt pathway · anti-obesity ketone metabolites · BHB-Phe · Lac-Phe · hypothalamic neurons · brainstem neurons · Feeding suppression · CNDP2-KO mice · ketone ester supplementation · ketogenic diet · Energy balance

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Adipose Tissue and Metabolism Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/adipose-tissue-and-metabolism/2026. Accessed 2026-07-22.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```