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Tim Ferriss

How to Use Ketosis for Enhanced Mood, Cognition, and Long-Term Brain Protection — A Practical and Tactical Guide with Dr. Dominic D’Agostino (Plus: Deconstructing Tim’s Latest Keto Experiment) (#845)

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Dr. Dominic D’Agostino (@DominicDAgosti2) is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and a Visiting Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

He teaches medical neuroscience, physiology, nutrition, and neuropharmacology, and his research focuses on the development and testing of nutritional strategies and metabolic-based therapies for neurological disorders, cancer, and human performance optimization. His work spans both basic science and human clinical trials.

He has a strong personal interest in environmental medicine and enhancing the safety and resilience of military personnel and astronauts. In this capacity, he served as a research investigator and crew member on NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations. His research has been supported by the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, private organizations, and nonprofit foundations.

He earned his B.S. in Nutritional Science and Biological Sciences from Rutgers University in 1998, followed by a predoctoral fellowship in Neuroscience and Physiology at Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He then completed postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine in 2004 and at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in 2006.

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How to Use Ketosis for Enhanced Mood, Cognition, and Long-Term Brain Protection — A Practical and Tactical Guide with Dr. Dominic D'Agostino (Plus: Deconstructing Tim’s Latest Keto Experiment)

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Transcripts

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Connect with Dominic D’Agostino:

KetoNutrition.org | Facebook | Twitter | University of South Florida

Dr. Dominic D’Agostino’s Past Appearances

Devices & Wearables

Products, Brands, & Services

Books

Lab Tests, Biomarkers, & Metrics

Supplements, Compounds, and Terms

People

Organizations & Institutions

TIMESTAMPS

  • [00:00:00] Start.
  • [00:04:37] Ketosis benefits: Quieting the mind, GABA elevation, metabolic psychiatry.
  • [00:09:24] My Lyme disease story: Pseudo-dementia reversed in 3-4 days of ketosis.
  • [00:13:50] Spirochetes are glycolytic: Starve the bug, boost the immune response.
  • [00:19:20] Ketosis and cancer: Slowing glycolytic tumors, enhancing standard care.
  • [00:20:50] My 18-day keto experiment: Mood stabilization, Alzheimer’s prevention hopes.
  • [00:23:19] Metabolic memory: Carryover effects and Valter Longo’s fasting mimicking research.
  • [00:27:11] Intermittent fasting as keto on-ramp: My 2-8 p.m. eating window.
  • [00:29:15] Dom’s budget keto meal: Canned mackerel, MCT oil, apple cider vinegar.
  • [00:33:28] My ketone measurement paradox: Feeling sharp at 0.2 mM readings.
  • [00:36:56] The carburetor analogy: Ketone production vs. utilization explained.
  • [00:38:43] Breath ketones vs. blood ketones: Better indicator in caloric deficit.
  • [00:39:47] Gluconeogenesis fears: Fat, fiber, and salt to slow protein absorption.
  • [00:45:25] The bunless double cheeseburger question: 80 grams of protein in one sitting.
  • [00:49:03] Post-meal walking and GLUT4 activation: Timing your glucose disposal.
  • [00:51:02] CGM and ketone monitor limitations: When your devices gaslight you.
  • [00:58:05] Rabbit starvation and protein-veggie days: Why your body won’t bankroll its own ketosis.
  • [01:05:44] Alzheimer’s prevention: Biomarkers, B12, hsCRP, and metabolic health.
  • [01:09:40] My family history: Letrozole, metabolic dysfunction, and rapid cognitive decline.
  • [01:13:17] Minimum effective dose: 80% of benefits from low-carb Mediterranean.
  • [01:18:56] One week per month protocol: Aggressive calorie cut to ramp ketones.
  • [01:23:12] GKI sweet spot: Target 1-4, aim for 1-2 during intensive weeks.
  • [01:36:22] Exogenous ketones 101: Palatability, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, toxicity.
  • [01:39:21] 1,3-Butanediol warnings: Liver toxicity, NAD depletion, dependency risk.
  • [01:54:22] Intermittent fasting vs. ketogenic breakfast.
  • [01:59:09] My accidental intoxication story.
  • [02:03:23] Dr. Veech tribute: Student of Hans Krebs, ketone ester pioneer.
  • [02:05:08] Fiber on keto: Wild blueberries, broccoli, apples, walnuts.
  • [02:09:58] The tainted gummies incident: Dom’s forensic investigation underway.
  • [02:13:08] Thanks to Dr. Boz and Medifoodz.
  • [02:16:19] Parting thoughts.

DOMINIC D’AGOSTINO QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“We know that being in a state of ketosis really quiets the mind … and that, I think, really echoes its broad application for metabolic psychiatry, which is everything from major depression to bipolar, to schizophrenia, to anxiety disorders, to anorexia nervosa.”
— Dominic D’Agostino

“Much like muscle memory, I think there’s a metabolic memory. So the more you stay in ketosis, the easier it gets, and the more benefits you derive from it, and the more that you shift your body to being more fat adapted — just like you can build your VO2.”
— Dominic D’Agostino

“[The ketogenic diet] is not a cure for cancer, and I cringe when people talk about that online. [But] it does slow it down, especially if it’s highly glycolytic, which 80% of cancers are.”
— Dominic D’Agostino

“I think you can get 80% of the benefits [of ketosis] with a low-carb diet — low-carb meaning 100 grams a day, just fibrous, non-starch, non-sugar carbs, low-carb Mediterranean, if you want to call it that.”
— Dominic D’Agostino

“Resistance exercise, I’m a little biased towards that, but muscle is like an endocrine organ that produces hormones and various molecules that are neuroprotective and muscle is tightly linked to brain size and, of course, your waist and your visceral fat.”
— Dominic D’Agostino

“My concern … is that I know there’s older people out there with dementia, perhaps Alzheimer’s disease, that if they’re consuming 1,3-Butanediol as a ketogenic supplement, it’s going to make you dizzy. It’s going to decrease your stability, it’s going to make you potentially fall, break your hip.”
— Dominic D’Agostino

Podcasts & Media

Relevant Resources

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Want to hear the last time Dominic D’Agostino was on the podcast? Listen to our conversation here, in which we discussed ketones and neuroprotection, sardine fasting, glucose ketone index for autophagy tracking, cholesterol hyperabsorption, melatonin myths, metabolic psychiatry, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, metformin versus berberine, and much more.

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