A Legend in Metabolic Health Shares How to Stay Healthy Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercol a STORY AT-A-GLANCE February 2, 2020, Richard L. Veech, M.D., Ph.D., passed away at the age of 84 Veech was a leader and pioneer of our understanding of how ketones work biologically as he spent more than 50 years studying human metabolism at Harvard, Oxford and the NIH He discovered the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate has the unique ability to supercharge energy (ATP) production. Beta-hydroxybutyrate is generated in your liver when you fast or eat a ketogenic diet February 2, 2020, Richard L. Veech, M.D., Ph.D., passed away. He was 84. According to reports, he “died quietly in his sleep.” 1 Veech has earned a place in medical history as a leader and pioneer of the ketogenic diet, having spent more than 50 years studying human metabolism as a biochemist. I deeply regret not having interviewed him as he was a giant in the field. I was intimated by his pedigree and vast ...