Geoffrey Woo likes to start the day with a plate of eggs, cheese, and avocado. It might not sound as if Woo — cofounder and CEO of “cognitive enhancement” supplements startup Nootrobox — is dieting.
But he subscribes to an increasingly popular diet — the ketosis or “keto” diet — that he hopes will help him live longer and better. It has especially gained traction among Silicon Valley’s biohackers, who often experiment with diet and medical devices in a DIY approach to biology.
The high-fat, low-carb diet turns the body into a fat-burning machine. When you turn off access to glucose, a primary fuel source derived from eating carbohydrates, the body taps into its own fat stores for energy.