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



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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)

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