Mehmet Yildiz's Blog: Updates from Dr Mehmet Yildiz - Posts Tagged "memoirs"

They Are The Healing Molecules That Saved My Life

In my 20s, I trusted mainstream health advice like eat less fat, move more, and take pills when numbers rise. But following that path left me trapped in prediabetes, abdominal obesity, arthritis, chronic inflammation, leaky gut, and relentless brain fog.
By the time I turned 30, my health was slipping into dangerous territory. That was when I decided to reclaim my life, not as a patient, but as a curious postdoctoral researcher and sensible biohacker.
This book is the story of how two overlooked molecules, Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), became my lifeline. They helped me rewire my brain, restore my metabolism, and rebuild my immune system. They gave me back the clarity, energy, and joy I thought I had lost forever.
But this book is not just my memoir. It is an invitation for you to see what is possible when science, curiosity, and lived experience meet. My journey will not mirror yours, but the lessons I learned can inspire you to look at your own health through a new lens.
With the guidance of qualified healthcare professionals, you can adapt the principles I used - fasting, nutritional ketosis, exercise, stress reduction, and lifestyle shifts - to your own context. The value of this book lies in the perspectives, insights, and practical examples it offers for anyone who wants to move from struggling to thriving.
I turned my body into a laboratory, testing approaches with care, science, and common sense. My experiments included time-restricted eating, intermittent fasting, caloric deficit, a ketogenic diet, intense exercise, and lowering chronically elevated cortisol through stress management.
Later, I expanded into long-term fasting, also known as periodic fasting, which I practiced for three to ten days, four times a year. These strategies helped me become more insulin sensitive, optimize cortisol, balance other hormones, and address every factor of metabolic syndrome without medication or surgery.
The results were extraordinary: my blood sugar normalized, inflammation subsided, arthritis eased, abdominal fat melted, gut integrity improved, lipids balanced, and brain fog lifted.
Beyond repair, I found prevention, and for the first time in my life, I gained six-pack abs on my 50th birthday. My biomarkers now show optimal ranges past sixty, suggesting resilience against diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, Alzheimer's, and perhaps even certain cancers.
I blend decades of research with personal observation to show how BHB and BDNF influence metabolic, mental, and immune health. Each chapter combines story, science, and reflection with practical ideas you can discuss with your own health team.
This is a specialized memoir and follow-up on my previous books in my Health, Wellness, and Cognitive Performance Series, including Cortisol Clarity, Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life, Cellular Intelligence, Lifespan Mastery, and Sensible Biohacks that Changed My Life.
To make my 300,000+-page research journal in biochemistry accessible, I distilled it into a 40,000-word book (200 pages). With the help of Hemingway Editor, I simplified complex material to a Grade 7 level so that readers without a science or technology background could follow along.
My goal is to offer you the same life-changing insights I discovered, presented in a way that is both clear and practical.
I offer nuanced perspectives shaped by lived experiences and the growing scientific literature in the last four decades.
I wrote this memoir with complete honesty and transparency from the heart, mind, and spirit, sharing both the highs and lows to empower you with knowledge, hope, and tools to explore.
If you approach this book with an open mind, it may challenge what you have been told and help you craft a healthier and happier future at any age.
I will soon share the beta version as digital (EPUB, PDF, MOBI) and audio (MP3) on my discount bookstore and also in my Health and Wellness Network publication on Substack for members.

Link to preorder on Amazon now: https://a.co/d/7INiXLU



Thank you for reading my perspectives

I'd like to share a list of books I added to the Digitalmehmet Discount Bookstore to give you an idea. They include PDF, EPUB, MOBI, or MP3 formats for downloading.


Audio + Digital Bundle: The Mysterious Leadership Mind of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Substack Mastery Version 2 (Digital + Audio Bundle)
Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation (Audiobook)
Audiobook: Monetize Your Passion with WooCommerce
Monetize Your Passion with WooCommerce (Book)
Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation V2
Cortisol Clarity (Audiobook)
A Powerful Toolkit for Substack Newsletter Mastery (Audio)
Smart and Ethical SEO (Book)
Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life (Audio)
Modern Affiliate Marketing for Writers (Audiobook)
Modern Affiliate Marketing for Writers (Book)
4 Pillars of Enterprise Architecture
Smart Email Marketing Content Integration
A Powerful Toolkit for Substack Newsletter Mastery
Cortisol Clarity (Book)
Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life (Book)

Thank you for reading my post. You can connect with me on my author platform Digitalmehmet Content Ecosystem.

If you are a book author, you can join our book club on Substack and share your book chapters at Illumination Book Chapters on Medium. Here are the links:

Illumination Book Club on Substack
Illumination Book Chapters on Medium

I still remember the first time I pricked my finger and tested my ketone levels. The number on the meter was small - 1.2 mmol/L - but for me it was a turning point. That tiny digital readout gave me proof that ketones were real, measurable, and active in my body. It was no longer a theory. It was evidence I could hold in my hands.
What made that moment possible was not only my curiosity but also the quiet revolution in self-monitoring technology. Back in 1965, the first blood glucose test strip - called Dextrostix - was developed.
At the time, it was designed for physicians, not patients. In the 1970s, bulky and inaccurate glucose meters appeared, still far from practical for everyday use.
By the 1980s, everything began to change. Test strips required smaller drops of blood. Meters became faster, more accurate, and affordable enough to move into homes.
Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) became a standard of care, empowering people with diabetes to take charge of their health.
Alongside this shift, ketone testing strips emerged, first in clinical use, then slowly becoming available to the public in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The development of combined glucose and ketone monitors was especially significant. For the first time, ordinary people could measure two of the body's most important fuels at home.
For those managing diabetes, it was life-saving. For me, it was life-changing. I was no longer forced to guess what fasting or dietary changes were doing to me. I could measure, observe, and learn in real time.
It is easy to take this for granted now. Today, glucose and ketone meters are sold in pharmacies worldwide. But back then, pricking my finger and seeing ketones appear on the screen felt almost futuristic.
It gave me the courage to keep experimenting, because I was no longer navigating blindly. Science was in my hands, and it spoke through a single drop of blood.
When I started periodic fasting from seven to ten days, I entered a deep state of ketosis. It made me euphoric. When BPH reached 5.5 or 7.3 mmol/L in my bloodstream, everything looked more beautiful and brighter.

I added some images to a story on Medium.com https://medium.com/health-science/wha...
which reflect my 7 day and 10 day fasting BHP reading. Left meters represent glucose and right ones BHP Beyond Fuel: The Essence of BHB
The numbers, 1.2 (mild), 5.5 (moderate), or 7.3 (Deep) mmol/L, were not just a metric for me. They represented a molecule my liver had made in response to fasting, energized my cells, and signalled my genes to lower inflammation.
Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is one of three ketone bodies, produced when carbohydrate intake is low or absent. Most textbooks describe glucose as the brain's preferred fuel, but BHB tells a different story. During fasting, up to 70% of the brain's energy can come from ketones. That means the brain thrives, even in scarcity.
Yet BHB is more than just a substitute fuel. In 2013, Dr. Eric Verdin and his team showed in Science that BHB functions as a signaling molecule, turning genes on and off.
It activates antioxidant pathways, suppresses inflammation, and enhances cellular resilience. To me, this explained why my inflammation markers fell as my ketones rose, and why the pain in my joints began to ease.
In plain language: BHB does not simply keep the lights on. It rewires the house for efficiency and protection.
The Ups and Downs of My Ketosis Experiments
Of course, my first experiments with BHB were not perfect. Early fasts before adapting my body to fat sometimes left me dizzy and irritable, especially when I broke them with the wrong foods.
I didn't know about the importance of salt when fasting, so I had keto flu like many beginners. But it was quick and easy to fix it by just adding a pinch of Himalayan or sea salt to my water.
I learned quickly that a sugary meal, especially fruits, could drop ketones to near zero in 20 minutes, taking my clarity with them. Other times, I pushed too hard, extending fasts before my body was ready.
But there were also days when everything clicked. A 16-hour fast raised my ketones gently, leaving me energized. A three-day fast sent them soaring, creating a sharpness of thought I had never known. A ten-day fast put me in a euphoric state, making me a prolific writer and a compassionate person.
Exercise in a fasted state spiked them even higher, giving me bursts of creativity that spilled into my writing. These cycles taught me that BHB was both fragile and powerful - fragile because it could vanish with one poor choice, like a sugary food or beverage, or be powerful because it could unlock mental states that felt like a gift.
Science That Guided Me
Landmark studies gave me confidence that my observations were real. In the 1960s, Dr. George Cahill at Harvard showed that ketones could sustain the human brain for weeks of fasting, proving that we are metabolically flexible by design.
In 2013, Verdin's Science paper confirmed that BHB inhibits histone deacetylases, activating protective genes. Around the same time, Cell Metabolism studies revealed that BHB improves mitochondrial efficiency, lowering oxidative stress and producing cleaner energy.
I often felt this directly. The crashes that used to follow carbohydrate-heavy meals disappeared. My energy stretched smoothly across the day, as though my cells had switched from burning kindling to burning a steady log fire.
In 2017, Nature Medicine published findings that BHB may mimic the effects of caloric restriction, extending lifespan in animal models. That spoke to me deeply. My goal was not only to reverse the disease but also to live with vitality as I aged.
Every study felt like a mirror. When my glucose stabilized, I recalled clinical trials showing improved insulin sensitivity during fasting. When my brain fog cleared, I remembered BHB's role in reducing oxidative stress. The literature and my life were telling the same story.
The practical impact of BHB on my life was profound. My waistline shrank, my fasting glucose normalized, and my insulin sensitivity returned. Arthritis pain eased, and inflammation markers fell.
But the most precious gift was mental clarity. For the first time since my twenties, I could focus, remember, and create without being dragged down by fatigue.
BHB gave me back the confidence that my mind was not permanently damaged. It reminded me that healing is possible even after years of decline.
How About Man-Made beta-hydroxybutyrate?
In recent years, scientists and entrepreneurs have developed man-made forms of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), often sold as ketone salts, esters, or ethers, and now found in drinks, powders, and even energy bars.
These products deliver BHB directly into the bloodstream without requiring fasting or a ketogenic diet. Within 20 minutes, blood ketone levels can rise, giving a quick sense of mental clarity or physical energy.
While these supplements can be helpful, especially for beginners or those who cannot fast or sustain strict low-carb eating, they do not fully replicate the benefits of natural ketosis.
When the body makes BHB endogenously - through fasting, carbohydrate restriction, or exercise - the entire metabolic machinery shifts: insulin levels drop, fat oxidation increases, mitochondria adapt, and inflammation decreases.
Simply drinking BHB raises ketones in the blood but does not activate the same hormonal, genetic, and metabolic pathways that natural ketosis engages.
That does not make them useless. For some people, ketone supplements can be a bridge - a way to experience a taste of ketosis before committing to lifestyle changes.
They may help athletes during endurance training, busy professionals seeking sharper focus, or patients needing short-term energy support when dietary restrictions are not feasible.
Still, the deep healing and metabolic rewiring I experienced came from producing BHB naturally. Supplements may provide sparks, but lifestyle-based ketosis provides the enduring flame.
Used thoughtfully, both approaches have their place, but it is important to understand the difference.
Conclusions and Key Takeaways
For me, BHB became more than a molecule. It was a symbol of resilience and adaptability. It showed me that my body carried within it ancient pathways designed not for fragility but for survival. It taught me that decline was not inevitable, that vitality could be rebuilt.
Looking back, my relationship with BHB holds lessons that others may explore with curiosity and professional guidance.
Begin by learning the story of BHB. It is not only a fuel but a messenger, calming inflammation and supporting your mitochondria. If you experiment, start gently. Try narrowing your eating window or skipping one meal, and notice what changes.
Use the tools available. Glucose and ketone meters, once rare, are now affordable and accessible. Measuring gives you feedback, but do not let numbers dominate your life. They are guides, not verdicts.
Pay attention to both numbers and feelings. A meter might show 1.0 mmol/L, but your true measure lies in whether your mind feels sharper or your energy steadier. Respect the fragility of ketones. They rise and fall with choices, and setbacks are part of the process.
Above all, see BHB not as a fad but as part of your biological inheritance. It connects you to the resilience of your ancestors, who survived scarcity by turning adversity into strength.
When I first saw that small number on my ketone meter, I did not realize I was standing at the edge of a transformation.
That molecule - beta-hydroxybutyrate - was the bridge between my declining twenties and my renewed decades of health.
Without the evolution of testing technology, I might never have found it. Without curiosity, I might never have pursued it.
BHB was not just a miracle molecule for me. It was a message written into human biology, waiting for me to read it. And once I did, it saved my life.
Some readers have told me that fasting worsens their reflux, especially when combined with coffee or certain trigger foods. For me, the opposite was true.
Long fasts gave my digestive system its first real rest in decades, and my reflux, bloating, and discomfort disappeared.
This contrast reminds us that fasting is not a one-size-fits-all practice. Our bodies respond differently, and learning to listen and adapt is part of the process.
My goal is to offer you the same life-changing insights I discovered, presented in a way that is both clear and practical.
I offer nuanced perspectives shaped by lived experiences and the growing scientific literature in the last four decades.
I wrote this memoir with complete honesty and transparency from the heart, mind, and spirit, sharing both the highs and lows to empower you with knowledge, hope, and tools to explore.
If you approach this book with an open mind, it may challenge what you have been told and help you craft a healthier and happier future at any age.
I will soon share the beta version as digital (EPUB, PDF, MOBI) and audio (MP3) on my discount bookstore and also in my Health and Wellness Network publication on Substack for members.


Where can you order the Ketosis + BDNF: The Healing Molecules That Saved My Life
How I Reversed Metabolic Syndrome, Restored Brain Health, and Regained Vitality After 50

Link to pre-order on Amazon now: https://a.co/d/7INiXLU

Link to pre-order on many other bookstores: https://books2read.com/ketosis



Thank you for reading my perspectives

I'd like to share a list of books I added to the Digitalmehmet Discount Bookstore to give you an idea. They include PDF, EPUB, MOBI, or MP3 formats for downloading.


Audio + Digital Bundle: The Mysterious Leadership Mind of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Substack Mastery Version 2 (Digital + Audio Bundle)
Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation (Audiobook)
Audiobook: Monetize Your Passion with WooCommerce
Monetize Your Passion with WooCommerce (Book)
Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation V2
Cortisol Clarity (Audiobook)
A Powerful Toolkit for Substack Newsletter Mastery (Audio)
Smart and Ethical SEO (Book)
Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life (Audio)
Modern Affiliate Marketing for Writers (Audiobook)
Modern Affiliate Marketing for Writers (Book)
4 Pillars of Enterprise Architecture
Smart Email Marketing Content Integration
A Powerful Toolkit for Substack Newsletter Mastery
Cortisol Clarity (Book)
Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life (Book)

Thank you for reading my post. You can connect with me on my author platform Digitalmehmet Content Ecosystem.

If you are a book author, you can join our book club on Substack and share your book chapters at Illumination Book Chapters on Medium. Here are the links:

Illumination Book Club on Substack
Illumination Book Chapters on Medium

A Question That Wouldn’t Leave Me

When I look back at my twenties, the question that haunted me most was simple: Why was my body failing so soon? I had access to world-class libraries, laboratories, and journals, yet my health was unravelling faster than my ability to interpret the data. It was during those restless nights in the lab, when fatigue blurred my vision and pain made it hard to sit at a desk, that I began rereading the notes I had accumulated in my research journals.
Patterns leapt out at me. Among the dense equations and chemical pathways, two names appeared again and again: beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). At first, they were just biochemical curiosities. But as I saw them connected to energy regulation, inflammation control, memory formation, and resilience, they began to shine like small beacons on the page.
This was my first spark. A whisper in the literature telling me that perhaps the answers I sought were hidden not in new pills or surgeries but in molecules my own body could make.
Rediscovering Forgotten Molecules
What startled me was not just their presence, but how overlooked they were. BHB was described in metabolic studies as an alternative fuel during fasting or starvation. One of the earliest insights came from Dr. George Cahill at Harvard in the 1960s, who showed that the human brain could derive more than half of its fuel from ketones during prolonged fasting. Yet, in medical training, this extraordinary adaptability was often reduced to a footnote.
BDNF was another revelation. In the 1980s, Yves-Alain Barde and colleagues identified it as a key growth factor for neurons. Later work by Bruce McEwen at Rockefeller University described it as “fertilizer for the brain.” Still, in clinical practice, the focus remained on neurotransmitters and drugs, while BDNF’s role in resilience and mood received little attention.
I wondered why. Why did the textbooks I studied emphasize glucose as the brain’s primary fuel while barely acknowledging that ketones could outperform it under certain conditions? Why did doctors prescribe drugs for depression, dementia, or fatigue while BDNF’s power was buried in specialist journals?
The more I asked these questions, the more restless I became. If my own body could generate these molecules, why was no one encouraging me to cultivate them?
Experiments Born of Curiosity
I began to design small experiments around these ideas. Not grand clinical trials, but personal observations. Could I raise my ketone levels by skipping meals? Could I feel a shift in mood, energy, or focus when I did? The results were subtle at first, but unmistakable. Skipping breakfast brought a clarity I had not felt in years.
Later, I measured ketones in my blood and saw numbers that matched the levels described in fasting studies. It was humbling to realize that my body was producing the very molecule I had been reading about for months. BHB was not abstract anymore; it was flowing through me.
As for BDNF, I could not measure it directly at home, but the literature was clear. Every fast, every burst of exercise, and every night of deep sleep was a stimulus for BDNF production. In 2002, Dr. Mark Mattson and colleagues published influential studies at the National Institute on Aging showing that intermittent fasting increased BDNF in rodents, improving their learning and protecting them from neurodegeneration. When I combined fasting with exercise, my fog lifted, my recall improved, and my mood stabilized. The papers and my lived experience were telling the same story.
Science Meets Experience
The more I experimented, the more I found echoes in the literature. In 2013, Dr. Eric Verdin and his team at the Gladstone Institutes showed that BHB can suppress inflammation by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. That explained why my joint pain eased as my ketones rose. Around the same time, a Cell Metabolism study revealed that ketones improve mitochondrial efficiency and reduce oxidative stress, helping cells produce cleaner energy. That aligned with my own observation: steadier energy, fewer crashes, and less of the drained exhaustion that dominated my twenties.
The synergy between BHB and BDNF fascinated me most. In 2014, a Nature Neuroscience paper reported that intermittent fasting increased both ketone production and BDNF, protecting neurons from degeneration. Reading those results while feeling sharper myself was both humbling and exhilarating. It convinced me that fasting was not deprivation. It was nourishment of a deeper kind.
The Emotional Spark
Science explained the mechanisms, but emotion gave them weight. I remember the first time I looked in the mirror and noticed the swelling in my face had receded after a month of fasting experiments. I remember opening a book and realizing I had read a page without losing my focus halfway through. These were small victories, but they ignited something in me that had been dormant: hope.
That hope carried me into my thirties, when I began refining my practices. Instead of dabbling, I structured experiments. Instead of hoping for quick fixes, I committed to long-term observations. The spark had become a flame.



I will soon share the beta version as digital (EPUB, PDF, MOBI) and audio (MP3) on my discount bookstore and also in my Health and Wellness Network publication on Substack for members.


Where can you order the Ketosis + BDNF: The Healing Molecules That Saved My Life
How I Reversed Metabolic Syndrome, Restored Brain Health, and Regained Vitality After 50

Link to pre-order on Amazon now: https://a.co/d/7INiXLU

Link to pre-order on many other bookstores: https://books2read.com/ketosis



Thank you for reading my perspectives

I'd like to share a list of books I added to the Digitalmehmet Discount Bookstore to give you an idea. They include PDF, EPUB, MOBI, or MP3 formats for downloading.


Audio + Digital Bundle: The Mysterious Leadership Mind of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Substack Mastery Version 2 (Digital + Audio Bundle)
Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation (Audiobook)
Audiobook: Monetize Your Passion with WooCommerce
Monetize Your Passion with WooCommerce (Book)
Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation V2
Cortisol Clarity (Audiobook)
A Powerful Toolkit for Substack Newsletter Mastery (Audio)
Smart and Ethical SEO (Book)
Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life (Audio)
Modern Affiliate Marketing for Writers (Audiobook)
Modern Affiliate Marketing for Writers (Book)
4 Pillars of Enterprise Architecture
Smart Email Marketing Content Integration
A Powerful Toolkit for Substack Newsletter Mastery
Cortisol Clarity (Book)
Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life (Book)

Thank you for reading my post. You can connect with me on my author platform Digitalmehmet Content Ecosystem.

If you are a book author, you can join our book club on Substack and share your book chapters at Illumination Book Chapters on Medium. Here are the links:

Illumination Book Club on Substack
Illumination Book Chapters on Medium