FoundMyFitness · 2016-04-09 · Rhonda Patrick (host), Dominic D'Agostino
Dominic D'Agostino, Ph.D. on Modified Atkins Diet, Keto-Adaptation, Ketosis & More
56 claims checked against research: 2 contradicted 3 overstated 5 needing context 39 supported 7 unverified
2 Contradicted by research
Fasting and ketogenic diets increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to various compounds and drugs.
"We know with fasting and the ketogenic diet that you can increase permeability to the blood-brain barrier, things get through faster... Fasting-induced ketosis or even the ketogenic diet help increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to a wide variety of things. So if you are—sort of the implications from his perspective that if you're getting a chemotherapeutic drug, if you're getting some kind of drug that needs to cross the blood-brain barrier that's impaired in some way, you might be able to get that across faster in a state of fasting ketosis or the ketogenic diet." (said at 0:47:01)
Fasting and ketogenic diets do not cause a generalized increase in blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability to a wide variety of compounds or chemotherapeutic drugs. While fasting and ketosis induce selective upregulation of specific nutrient transporters—most notably monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) to facilitate ketone body uptake into the brain—preclinical research demonstrates that fasting does not alter major drug efflux transporters (such as P-glycoprotein) or induce broad BBB permeability. Furthermore, ketogenic and fasting interventions are generally associated with preserving or restoring BBB integrity and tight junction function rather than making the barrier more permeable.
Being on a ketogenic diet reduces circulating blood glutamine levels.
"I think that will lower your your blood glutamine levels. Just being on a ketogenic diet will do that" (said at 1:36:35)
Published clinical and preclinical evidence does not support the claim that following a ketogenic diet reduces circulating blood glutamine levels. Randomized clinical trials evaluating the impact of ketogenic diets on systemic amino acid profiles demonstrate significant reductions in specific amino acids (such as alanine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan) and elevations in branched-chain amino acids, but circulating glutamine levels are tightly regulated and not systematically reduced by ketosis. Furthermore, metabolic cancer research exploring dual fuel restriction has demonstrated that while a ketogenic diet lowers circulating glucose, it does not deplete systemic glutamine, which requires pharmacological glutamine antagonists (such as DON or CB-839) to target.
- context: Therapeutic benefit of combining calorie-restricted ketogenic diet and glutamine targeting… (Communications biology 2019) · cited 143x in the literature
"The glutamine antagonist, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON), was administered together with a calorically restricted ketogenic diet (KD-R) to treat late-stage orthotopic growth in two syngeneic GBM mouse models: VM-M3 and CT-2A. DON targets glutaminolysis, while the KD-R reduces glucose and, simultaneously, elevates neuroprotective and non-fermentable ketone bodies." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - contradicts: Alteration in Amino Acid Metabolism After Isocaloric, Energy-Restricted Ketogenic Diet in … (Nutrients 2026) · cited 2x in the literature
"The KD led to lower concentrations of alanine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan, alongside higher levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and α-aminobutyric acid compared to the STD." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi)
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