Have you ever sat in a presentation and thought, “Why isn’t everyone hearing this?”
That’s exactly how we felt listening to Dr. Csilla Ari D’Agostino at the 10th Annual San Diego Symposium this past August. Her session on ketones and brain health was one of those talks that makes you lean forward in your seat, connecting the dots between cutting-edge research and real-life hope.
Csilla walked us through why ketones matter for the brain—especially under stress, injury, and aging—and how to think clearly about supplemental and dietary ketones.
She opened by recalling a reaction to her previous presentation: “It’s almost criminal how this information is not more known and talked about,” wrote one viewer. Csilla said the comment resonated so strongly that she made it the subtitle of her talk in San Diego. Watch the clip we uploaded to YouTube here or purchase the entire collection of presentations from San Diego here with optional CME credits).
From there, she connected the dots between real-world high-stress environments (Navy diver oxygen toxicity, NASA NEEMO underwater missions) and everyday brain challenges like chronic stress, perimenopause brain fog, mild cognitive impairment, and post-concussion recovery.
The unifying theme: when glucose utilization falters, ketones can step in as an efficient alternative fuel—and as signaling molecules that support mitochondria, blood flow, and neuroplasticity.
What stood out were examples across the lifespan and across conditions. She showed how aging brains and those with MCI/Alzheimer’s demonstrate reduced glucose uptake but preserved or even increased ketone uptake, underscoring a metabolic “work-around” that can sustain cognition.
Animal and cell data added texture: elevated BHB supported tubulin and synapsin expression (the scaffolding of new connections) and sped wound-closure in neuronal cultures.
She also noted evidence that ketones may modulate anxiety via GABA-related mechanisms—lining up with many attendees’ lived experience of calmer, clearer focus in ketosis.
Csilla’s takeaway was both humble and actionable: dose and context matter, and “at some point, everybody’s brain might need extra ketones.” For many, a sustainable on-ramp looks like a well-formulated low-carb diet to flatten glucose spikes, paired with on-demand exogenous ketones for targeted cognitive or recovery needs—chosen thoughtfully, not trend-driven.
Importantly for an audience sorting through products, Csilla clarified the landscape of exogenous ketones (MCTs and 1,3-butanediol as precursors vs. ketone salts, esters, and free-acid BHB as true ketones). She highlighted potential trade-offs—GI tolerance, palatability, insulin response, and possible liver/renal considerations in higher or longer dosing—while advising to watch for proprietary blends, stimulant “pixie dusting,” and misleading label math that includes electrolyte weight.
If you missed San Diego, you can still catch every minute. Use this link to purchase the full set of 2025 presentations—including Csilla’s complete talk—so you can revisit the mechanisms, dosing details, and product pitfalls in depth.
Our Symposium for Metabolic Health in Boca Raton (January 23-25, 2026) will deliver multiple days of expert talks, discussions, and practical sessions from clinicians and scientists pushing the frontier on metabolic, cardiovascular, full body, and brain health.
