#845: 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)

January 6, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

The Format: Casual, deep-dive interview with host sharing personal experiments and guest providing expert breakdowns.
The Key Players:
- Host: Tim Ferriss, podcaster/author experimenting with ketosis for 18 days using CGM/CKM monitors.
- Guest: Dom D'Agostino, tenured professor, ketogenic researcher, elite athlete (deadlifts 500lbs post-fast), NASA investigator.
The Vibe: Educational yet energetic—practical biohacking banter mixed with geeky science dives and self-deprecating humor.

🗝️ Key Themes & Topics

Tim and Dom unpack ketosis as a tool for mood, performance, and disease management, blending Tim's real-time experiment with Dom's research.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: Dr. Dominic D'Agostino**
2 (05:44) **Benefits of Ketosis**
3 (08:09) **Physical and Cognitive Perks Beyond Brain Health**
4 (14:13) **Ketosis for Lyme/Tick-Borne Diseases**
5 (19:19) **Ketosis vs. Fasting for Cancer**
6 (20:50) **Mood, Neuroprotection, Metabolic Memory**
7 (26:43) **Tim's Keto Protocol and Meals**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

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.

This episode is brought to you by:

Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses: https://gusto.com/tim
Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic broad spectrum 24-strain probiotic + prebiotic: https://Seed.com/Tim
David Protein Bars 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar: https://davidprotein.com/tim
Coyote the card game, which I co-created with Exploding Kittens: https://coyotegame.com

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Who is Dominic D'Agostino?
[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