Dom D'Agostino
Neuroscientist at the University of South Florida, ketosis researcher
Dom D'Agostino 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. His lab develops and tests ketogenic diets, ketone esters and other ketone supplements, with funding that has included the Office of Naval Research. He holds patents on ketone formulations.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 4 experiments
What Dom D'Agostino has tried
4 experiments we can source: 3 kept, 1 stopped. Trying something is not recommending it; each entry says which.
Kept
Ketogenic dietDiets and fasting
Dates not stated · Does not recommend it to others
Has eaten a ketogenic diet for years and keeps ketones around 0.5 to 1.5 mM; after about five years on a very low-carb clinical version cost him about 18 pounds of lean mass, he added carbs back and tops up with MCTs and ketone supplements.
“I’ve added more carbs back in over the years, and that has helped me maintain my body weight.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #845 transcript, How to use ketosis for mood, cognition and brain protection (January 2026) · Status checked January 7, 2026 · Suggest a correction
Ketone estersSupplements
Dates not stated · Recommends it to others
Takes exogenous ketones daily on a modified ketogenic diet, topping up with MCTs and ketone packets; after two weeks of high-dose 1,3-butanediol raised his liver enzymes, he favors mixed formulations and suggests healthy users cap it at about 20 ml a day. He holds many patents on ketone formulations.
“And I basically dosed it for two weeks to keep my ketone levels at two millimolar, which would be like a therapeutic.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #845 transcript, How to use ketosis for mood, cognition and brain protection (January 2026) · Status checked January 7, 2026 · Suggest a correction
Prolonged water fastingDiets and fasting
Dates not stated · Does not recommend it to others
Fasts for several days only when the situation suits, such as five days while finishing a grant or when he feels an inflammatory flare coming on, and otherwise prefers what he calls sardine fasting.
“I’m starting fasting for five days until I get this grant submitted.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #825 transcript, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino on all things ketones (September 2025) · Status checked September 5, 2025 · Suggest a correction
Stopped
MetforminDrugs
stopped 2016 · Does not recommend it to others
Stopped after it made him feel sick during intense workouts, upset his gut and, at 2 g a day, caused a sun-triggered rash on his wrists; by 2016 he had switched to berberine.
“But also when I took it up to two grams per day, I had a photosensitivity.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #825 transcript, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino on all things ketones (September 2025) · Status checked September 5, 2025 · Suggest a correction