Dr Dom D’Agostino: The benefits of keto diets and intermittent fasting

The fastest way to start an argument on the internet? Post about politics. The second fastest? Talk about nutrition.

And just as politics has become more polarising, in part thanks to the rise of social media and its ubiquity in our lives, how we eat and to which nutritional strategy we adhere has become equally tribal, with people passionately arguing how one dietary approach is “right” and all other options are inherently “wrong”.

Vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, carnivore, intermittent fasting, paleo, Mediterranean, flexitarian, FODMAP, the list goes on.

But one dietary approach has captured the zeitgeist more than any other: the ketogenic diet.

Keto, which is characterised by high-fat and very low-carbohydrate intake, has gained huge popularity for its promise not only to facility rapid weight loss, but also to improve metabolic health and cognitive function. Adherents wax lyrical about its myriad physical and mental health improvements, even though the diet requires significant planning to keep carb intake so low.

At the forefront of our understanding of the ketogenic diet stands Dr Dom D’Agostino, a distinguished scientist and researcher whose groundbreaking work has shed light on how keto works for the general population and the therapeutic applications of ketosis in conditions ranging from epilepsy to neurodegenerative diseases.

He is also an expert in the science behind intermittent fasting, another nutritional strategy that has become hugely popular, primarily as a tactic to rapidly reduce bodyweight.

In our exclusive interview we speak to Dr D’Agostino to discover how and why keto diets and intermittent fasting can be such effective weight-loss and performance-boosting strategies, whether you should try these nutritional approaches and, if so, how you should begin, and ask him to detail his own personal nutritional and lifestyle protocols he believes helps him look, feel and perform at his very best.

Manage your stress hormone response to keto and fasting

Dr Dom D’Agostino: The research behind keto diets

Dr Dom D’Agostino: My personal nutrition protocols for optimal peformance

Listen to the Unfiltered Extra podcast with Dr Dom D’Agostino on Spotify