
“If medicine wants to focus on prevention, there’s no better tool than nutrition.” – Dominic D’Agostino
Dr. Dominic “Dom” D’Agostino (@DominicDAgosti2) is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and a senior research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). He has also deadlifted 500 pounds for 10 reps after a seven-day fast.
Many of you sent enthusiastic follow-up questions after the last conversation we had, so Dom took the time to answer your most popular questions. In particular, he focused on ketosis, ketones, and the ketogenic diet — so you can consider this a ketosis master class (especially if you combine both episodes, though this one does stand alone).
It takes a few minutes for Dom to warm up — so be patient! If you have an interest in these types of metabolic therapies, whether for performance enhancement, endurance, weight loss, or fighting cancer, diabetes, or any number of other maladies, you will find a gem within this episode.
Enjoy!

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear my first interview with Dom D’Agostino? — Listen to our in-depth conversation here. In this episode, we discuss fasting, heavy deadlifts, and the end of cancer (stream below or right-click here to download):
This podcast is brought to you Gymnastic Bodies. This is the training system that I am most obsessed with at the moment. Coach Sommer appeared on a previous episode of the podcast, which turned into a sleeper hit. He is the former USA national team coach for men’s gymnastics and creator of this bodyweight-based training system. I’m not easily impressed, and I have been completely blown away by the sophistication and the elegance of his programming.
I have been using Gymnastic Bodies for just a few months now, and I already feel more flexible and stronger than I have in years. Check out GymnasticBodies.com/tim, where you’ll find the Fundamentals course for diagnosing your weakest areas, those you can tweak for fast improvements. It is incredible. Take a look at GymnasticBodies.com/tim for more details and a large discount.
This podcast is also brought to you by Four Sigmatic. I reached out to these Finnish entrepreneurs after a very talented acrobat introduced me to one of their products, which blew my mind (in the best way possible). It is mushroom coffee featuring chaga. It tastes like coffee, but there are only 40 milligrams of caffeine, so it has less than half of what you would find in a regular cup of coffee. I do not get any jitters, acid reflux, or any type of stomach burn. It put me on fire for an entire day, and I only had half of the packet.
People are always asking me what I use for cognitive enhancement — right now, this is the answer. You can try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/tim and using the code “Tim” to get 20 percent off your first order. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Dom D’Agostino:
KetoNutrition.org | Facebook | Twitter | University of South Florida
First mega-hit episode with Dom
Dom’s favorite options for canned sardines: kingoscar.com and wildplanetfoods.com
Crown Prince Natural Smoked Oysters
Dom’s most recommended ketogenic diet resource
The modified Atkins diet at John Hopkins
The Ketogenic Diet for Type 1 Diabetes by Ellen Davis and Keith Runyan
Abbott Precision Xtra Glucose Monitor
Freestyle Precision Neo Glucose Meter
Ketonix Breath Ketone Test Monitor
ATP hydrolysis
How Wasting Is Saving: Weight Loss at Altitude Might Result from an Evolutionary Adaptation by Andrew J. Murray and Hugh E. Montgomery
Peter Attia’s lecture at IHMC — An Advantaged Metabolic State: Human Performance, Resilience and Health
Rebecca Rusch and Patrick Sweeney Climb Kilimanjaro for World Bicycle Relief
Acetazolamide (Diamox)
Exogenous ketones
Triiodothyronine (T3)
Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea
Quest Nutrition MCT Powder
The Gut’s Microbiome Changes Rapidly with Diet by Rachel Feltman, Scientific American
Alessio Fasano’s lecture at IHMC — The Gut Is Not Like Las Vegas: What Happens in the Gut Does Not Stay in the Gut
Lactobacillus bifidus probiotics
Modafinil
The Charlie Foundation for Ketogenic Therapies
Keto Motive
KetoDiet app
MRM Veggie Elite
LDL cholesterol
HDL cholesterol
The Ketogenic Diet: A Treatment for Children and Others with Epilepsy by John Freeman MD, Eric Kossoff, and Millicent Kelly
3 Keys To Dialing In Your Macronutrient Ratios, Bodybuilding.com
Interview with Ketone Expert Dr. Richard Veech on Bulletproof Radio
My Experience with Exogenous Ketones by Peter Attia
What Are Ketone Salts?, Ben Greenfield Fitness
Metabolism of (R,S)-1,3-butanediol acetoacetate esters, potential parenteral and enteral nutrients in conscious pigs by Henri Brunengraber, et al.
beta-Hydroxybutyric acid
Fatty acid oxidation disorders
PubMed search for “MADD keytones”
Kegenix Exogenous Ketones
Keto // OS by Pruvit
Keto // KREME by Pruvit
Kettle & Fire bone broth
Scivation Xtend Perform
Vitamin D3 — 5000iu if you’re inside all day; 1000iu if you spend time in the sun.
Melatonin
Idebenone
Magnesium Citrate
Magnesium Chloride
Magnesium Glycinate
Gaba
Hepatic Glycogenolysis
Show Notes
Why is there so much resistance among dieticians and researchers toward ketosis despite evidence in its favor? [07:12]
Can you gain muscle size and strength on a ketogenic diet? [15:20]
How much protein should you take in with a ketogenic diet? [16:21]
What is the impact of the ketogenic diet on Type 1 diabetes? [19:16]
Is it better to analyze ketone production by breath or blood? [27:42]
How does ketosis affect performance at altitude? [30:53]
Are there any differences females need to be aware of when considering a ketogenic diet? [35:53]
Can a female obtain a sub-10 percent body fat with a ketogenic diet? [40:43]
How does ketosis affect the microbiota? [44:53]
Is counting calories just as important as tracking fat intake and carb restriction if you want to avoid weight gain? [52:00]
What are Dom’s nutritional tricks to surviving scientific conferences where the food is often less than healthy? [55:36]
What stimulants aid in ketosis? [58:53]
Can a vegetarian or vegan follow a ketogenic diet? [1:05:01]
Should you be concerned if a ketogenic diet increases your LDL or LDL-P (bad cholesterol)? [1:08:55]
Elevated triglycerides? A ketogenic diet isn’t for everyone. [1:14:17]
Is it dangerous to use keytone salts? [1:15:29]
What’s Dom’s advice for people suffering from fatty acid oxidation disorders? [1:24:39]
Does Dom really support Kegenix? [1:29:40]
What are Dom’s go-to products? [1:37:21]
Are exogenous keytones only useful in a state of ketosis, or would they benefit someone who is not keto-adapted? [1:45:28]
Can exogenous keytones combined with a low-carb diet (but not a ketogenic diet) still give some or all of the benefits of a strict ketogenic diet? [1:48:38]
People Mentioned
Laird Hamilton
Patrick Arnold
Erik Kosoff
Andrew Koutnik
George F. Cahill, Jr.
Dr. Richard Veech
Peter Attia
Patrick Sweeney
Rebecca Rusch
Shannan Yorton Penna
Alessio Fasano
Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Beth Zupec-Kania
Henri Brunengraber
Dave Asprey
Ben Greenfield