Continuous Glucose Monitors Enhance Education of Medical Students

 Teaching at the University of South Florida at the Morsani College of Medicine and performing research in ketogenic diet and ketone supplementation, Dominic D'Agostino possesses extensive knowledge on exogenous ketone supplementation and ketone technologies that help muscle performance and resilience. Dominic D'Agostino follows the latest findings in his field, including an American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine report on a pilot metabolic immersion program that employed continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in medical students as part of a "metabolic immersion" program to enhance awareness and best practices within metabolic medicine and diabetes management.

The study involved 13 healthy students at Harvard Medical and Dental training on CGMs while being screened for underlying health issues. The students used the CGMs for 30 to 40 days while their dietary intake was tracked, in addition to a number of other variables that would help to assess the utility of CGMs for medical training.

Questionnaires revealed that participants felt the CGMs provided important insights into how the body reacts to food intake and aided with their medical education. In particular, CGMs made them more aware of how they could assist patients with diabetes battling elevated glucose levels. The CGM also encouraged them to alter their eating habits. Such devices, which encourage lifestyle modification and nutrition, may also inform the choices of those who opt for a low-glucose/ low carbohydrate ketogenic diet. For more information, please visit Levels Health and KetoNutrition.org.

New Research Links Ketogenic Diet to Gut Microbiome, Neurologic Health

 

An accomplished scientist and associate professor at the University of South Florida, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino researches ways of improving human neurology and physiology through the ketogenic diet. Dominic D’Agostino has broad knowledge of ketone esters, ketone supplementation, and ketone technologies. He shares his knowledge on KetoNutrition.org. One of his recent articles is on the gut-brain axis (GBA).

The gut-brain axis (GBA) refers to the physiological highway connecting the brain’s central nervous system (CNS) with the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the intestines. The ENS is responsible for body functions that do not require thinking about like digesting food, breathing, and circulating blood. The vagus nerve is the physiological highway between these two systems.

Information flow along the vagus nerve is two-way. The brain communicates its needs to the gut through the vagus nerve while the gut microbiome in the ENS produces key neurotransmitters that travel to the brain and eventually regulate neurologic, metabolic, and immune functions. A healthy gut microbiome, therefore, is essential to overall wellness.

The health of the gut microbiome is influenced by a number of things, key among them diet. Emerging research points to the benefits of a ketogenic diet to the gut microbiome and neurological health. Research on children with epilepsy has shown that a ketogenic diet improves regulation of immune factors central to controlling seizures. Additional research has linked the ketogenic diet to enhanced mental health. Specifically, when ketones become the brain’s primary source of energy, as is the case in a ketogenic diet, levels of the calming neurotransmitter GABA increase while those of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate fall. The diet further elevates adenosine levels, which also contributes to neurologic health.

Keto and Cancer - Understanding KMT

Dominic D’Agostino, PhD, is a research scientist investigating the science and application of the ketogenic diet and exogenous ketones, sometimes referred to more generally as "nutritional ketosis". The use of exogenous ketones in the form of ketone esters and ketone salt supplementation is also a significant part of his research efforts.. An associate professor at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino produces a KetoNutrition newsletter, where he covers topics such as application of the keto diet and ketogenic metabolic therapy (KMT).

Metabolic-based therapies, including KMT, shifts metabolic physiology and brain energy metabolism to manage verious disease processes and to strengthen resistance to illnesses. The application of KMT uses a well formulated keto diet as a base therapy, specialized supplements, and in some cases drugs. Published research and trials on clinicaltrials.gov show that many researchers are exploring how the ketogenic diet and KMT (additional things that enhance ketosis) can fight cancers that thrive on glucose and glutamine, including breast cancer.

Studies indicate that a healthy and well-balanced diet can reduce cancer risk, and this is primarily due to improving various metabolic biomarkers like blood glucose, insulin, triglycerides and reducing overall body weight.. In fact, proponents claim that alternative diets stimulate metabolism and boost the immune system to fight cancer. Specifically, diet therapy can enhance cancer-specific immune regulation through physiological changes.

Notably, there is growing evidence on how KMT affects cancer cells through pleiotropic effects. It works by reducing insulin secretion and glucose transport into tumor cells. At the same time, it increases fat burning effects and ketone body production, a metabolic fuel that nourishes healthy cells but has direct anti-cancer effects.. Together with glutamine targeting (EGCG and Theanine), emerging evidence demonstrates that KMT can target tumor cells and reduce inflammation without injuring surrounding healthy tissue. In addition, the ketone supplementation with ketone esters or exogenous ketone salts (KetoStart) can further enhance KMT by improving (lowering) the Glucose/Ketone Index (GKI). For more information on metabolic targeting of cancer with nutrition, including the science and application of ketone supplements, go to the Blog of KetoNutrition.org