From April through June last year, I did a 2 month long experiment. I ate no more than 30g of carbohydrates each day, while loading up on all the fat I could. I continued my CrossFit workouts and olympic lifting workouts with almost zero glycogen to run off, and consistently hit the wall. So why the heck would I want to do that? The goal was to transition to a ketogenic diet. A ketogenic diet is one that shifts the body’s fuel from carbs to fat. During this process, the body creates molecules called ketone bodies (like beta-hydroxybutyrate) to fuel the muscles and brain for fast fuel. And it turns out that many of today’s top athletes do some variation of a ketogenic diet. And after Dr. Jeff Volek’s FASTER study came out last year, ketogenesis has exploded in popularity among the athletic community. But being in a state of ketosis isn’t just for athletes. It’s been shown to help with weight loss, most metabolic markers, oxygen efficiency, and longevity. And while the ketogenic diet was originally prescribed to epileptic patients in the 1930s, there’s promising evidence to suggest it may be massively useful in the treatment of cancer, most metabolic diseases such as diabetes, and Alzheimer’s prevention. The science around a ketogenic diet is new and exciting, which is why I jumped at the chance to interview Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, a PhD and one of the world’s few expert in subjects. Dominic (Dom) is a recently tenured professor at University of South Florida where he studies the intricacies of the diet, and studies the most cutting edge exogenous ketones. The conversation was awesome as it was nerdy. Please enjoy!   Show notes + TL;DR:  3:18 How Dom's PhD in neuroscience and physiology turned into a career in pharmacology, and eventually led to his fascination with dietary and supplemental ketones.   Had to understand oxygen toxicity seizures related to Navy SEALS research.   6:10 - What is oxygen toxicity, and how is it affected by ketosis?   Oxygen is essential for life, but it metabolizing oxygen naturally makes free radicals, or reactive oxidation species (ROS) like super-oxide anion. Having too much oxygen is called oxygen toxicity and is is toxic for the cells because of the dangerous amounts of free radicals. When you're using too much oxygen, you're naturally going to produce a bunch free radicals. They are powerful signaling molecules that tell your body something's potentially not right with the situation. They also disrupt brain energy metabolism. Ketones preserves the bioenergetic capacity of the brain under either too much or too little oxygen, and cause less free radicals than does glucose.   10:04 Why ketones are a high-octane fuel that burn with greater efficiency than does glucose.   Through the use of oxygen, both glucose and ketones are converted into ATP within the mitochondria, which is the energetic currency of the cell. What’s  Dr. Veech shows is that, within the heart, ketones create 20-30% more ATP per oxygen molecule than does glucose. This means that during a low oxygen state, like working out, it’s beneficial to be fueled by ketones rather than glucose. Unfortunately no study directly shows this in the brain because the brain is hard to measure, but in vitro studies confirm this is likely.   12:50 How ketone metabolites can prevent cells from injury and programmed cell death.   Cells are like little batteries that use charge gradients to convert chemical energy to electric energy. If the membrane potential is messed up, then the it'll create this apoptosis, which is basically like hitting the self-destruct button on a cell. This occurs during low oxygen states, but what’s interesting is that ketones have a neuro-protective effect and can prevent hypoxia and ischemia.   15:22 How ketosis allows endurance athletes to push harder, while also reducing the oxidative stress.   Your brain is a moderator of energy output. If you have a steady flow of energy to your brain through...

Dom D'Agostino -- how ketosis can maximize fat loss, increase athletic performance, and optimize longevity.

Following a healthy diet can be tough enough. Sure, healthy products like Ample can help. But no product will ever replace the need to know how to eat healthy with the rest of your diet. And answers you can rely on can be frustrating at best. That’s why we’re excited to announce the launch (well, technically “re-launch”) our podcast, Optimal Nutrition Simplified, where I interview nutrition and other health experts to clarify the science of nutrition so you can how to optimize your diet within the confines of a busy life. In our first new episode, I’m joined with ketogenic expert Cathy Saenz, PhD, RD. Cathy is one of the very few academics and clinicians with experience in the ketogenic diet for both high-caliber athletes as well as those suffering from chronic disease. She worked with Dr. Jeff Volek on the FASTER study, the Cleveland Indians, and speaks regularly at conferences. In this conversation, Cathy answers:  How much protein and carbs should those who exercise have on a keto diet What the benchmarks of a well-formulated keto diet is What the risks of the diet are, and how can they be mitigated Where promising new research is being done on other benefits of the diet  You can check out the podcast here, and show notes here.  What are the biggest differences between high carb vs. fat-adapted endurance athletes? *What’s your definition of a well-formulated ketogenic diet? *How much protein should we have on a keto diet? *What are the benefits of keto diet? How much is known with studies vs. anecdotal in your clinical experience? Were we evolved to sustainably be in ketosis? Are there genetic differences for who does better on a keto diet? *How flexible on carbs should athletes be to maintain a ketogenic diet? What are the differences in formulating a keto diet for power vs. endurance athletes? What level of ketones should people shoot for? What’s the difference between ketoacidosis and nutritional ketosis? *Are there any risks for thyroid or adrenal fatigue with keto? How can they mitigate those risks?

How to do keto right, and avoid mistakes during ketoadaptation

You're busy and driven, and you know that optimizing your health is the key to living the life you want. Maybe you're burnt out, stressed, sick, and don't know where to start. Or maybe you're already dialed into your health, but maintaining your well-being feels like a part-time job. Either way, Optimal Nutrition Simplified is for you. Join Connor as he interviews nutrition PhDs, MDs, neuroscientists, fitness coaches, pro athletes, business execs, and experts in lifestyle design. We talk ketosis, interval training, intermittent fasting, meditation, nootropics, sleep hacking, supplementation, productivity hacks, and a heck of a lot more. So stay tuned if you want the systems, tools, and heuristics required to easily optimize your well-being.

Optimal Nutrition Simplified

Popular tracks