Peter Attia is one of the most renowned and well-known people in the Longevity-Scene. The American doctor with Canadian roots is known, among other things, for his podcast “Drive,” in which he and guests discuss a variety of topics related to a healthy and long life.
At the latest with his new book “Outlive – The Science and Art of Longevity” Peter Attia also became known outside the scientific community. But after all the scientific studies, what is his recipe for success to live as long as possible in good health? Find out more about Peter Attia's background and which routines he believes lead to a longer life expectancy.
Who is Peter Attia?
For all those who don’t know him yet, Peter Attia is a Stanford graduate and former general surgeon at John Hopkins Hospital. His childhood dream, however, was not medicine, but professional boxer More than 6 hours of training per day was normal for him. Although sport still plays a crucial role in his life, his goals have changed quite a bit.
Peter Attia's background
After graduating in mathematics and engineering, he switched to medicine. Early in his career he noticed that classical medicine, which he described in his book as Medicine 2.0 is not enough. Too often he has seen that his patients' illnesses are too advanced to be truly cured.
This frustrated him so much that he gave up his surgical career and changed his field completely. For several years he worked for the management consultancy McKinsey, before he found his way back to medicine. In his practice (“Early Medical“) he devotes himself to the longevity and the prevention of diseases.
Did you know?
Degrees in medicine, math, engineering, consultant at McKinsey, TED speaker, podcaster and entrepreneur. When you look at Peter Attia's CV, you think of a high-flyer at school. According to him, this was not the case. He was a bit of a drudge at school and many teachers did not see any potential in him. Except for one, to whom he is still grateful to this day. Without this teacher, he would never have gone to university.
According to Peter Attia, the path to longevity is primarily through physical exercise.
What is Peter Attia doing today?
In addition to his medical practice, Peter Attia performs in several podcasts and also moderates his own, "Drive", where he discusses the latest scientific findings on the subject of longevity. In this way, he managed to generate enthusiasm for scientific topics among the general public over months and years. Something similar has also been achieved by David Sinclair with his book “Lifespan" done.
In his book, Peter Attia examines the main reasons for aging and explains in an understandable way (albeit in English) what we can do about it. He not only lists loose scientific studies to support his theories, but practices scientific knowledge in his everyday lifeIn his book, he takes the reader on his personal and exciting journey, including missteps and errors, through the world of longevity research.
Medicine 3.0 – what is behind the term?
To the Understanding the difference between Medicine 2.0 and Medicine 3.0, Peter Attia gives the following example: Medicine 2.0 deals with the treatment of diseases that have already manifested themselves. This means that a doctor only treats diabetes mellitus when it has been found in the laboratory with increased blood sugar levels can be shown. Medicine 3.0 On the other hand, it looks more closely at the causes behind the disease and treats diabetes at an earlier stage, when only a insulin resistance This is still reversible.
His statements are based on many years of research findings. aging is a process that takes place at various molecular and biochemical levels in our body.
If you want to delve deeper into the molecular level of aging, check out our series of articles on the topic Hallmarks of Aging Here you will find the individual molecular building blocks of aging explained in an understandable way and with practical examples.
Did you know?
Peter Attia set himself fitness goals at the young age of 13. Back then, he wrote them down on small pieces of paper and this method helped him to improve. He still uses the same mental trick today.
MoleQlar ONE combines the potential of 13 different longevity ingredients to fully promote health and longevity at the molecular level. The complex has positive effects on all twelve hallmarks of aging.
Chronic diseases – the four horsemen of the apocalypse
Peter Attia invests a large part of his working time in the prevention of chronic diseasesIn particular, he focuses on four groups of diseases, which he likes to call the four horsemen of the apocalypse, because they responsible for more than 80% of deaths in people over 50who do not smoke.
The four horsemen of the apocalypse are:
- arteriosclerosis (associated with cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the brain vessels)
- Cancer
- neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's
- "fundamentals" diseases, such as diabetes mellitus type 2
In addition to explaining the processes behind these diseases, Peter Attia gives some advice on how to prevent them.
Attia's anti-aging recipe:
Sports, sports, sports! One of the main pillars of Peter Attia’s book is his passionate plea for more Movement:
“More than any other tactical domain we discuss in this book, exercise has the greatest power to determine how you will live out the rest of your life…”
He recommends a mixture of strength and endurance sports, with a focus on different training intensities and exercises. Admittedly, his training program may not be sustainable for everyoneAt least 10 hours a week, including some “unusual” exercises, may sound quite ambitious.
One of Peter Attia's favorite exercises is running fast with a 20-30 kg backpack on his back. The intensity and scope of the training show that he is an (almost) professional athlete. Peter Attia himself says that he needs the endorphin rush to survive.
However, this should not deter anyone. Just 90 minutes of exercise a week can have a very positive effect on your health!
Sport – and what else?
Although sport takes up several chapters in Peter Attia's book, there are a few other ingredients to his anti-aging recipe.
To avoid arteriosclerosis, he regular blood tests to carry out, among other things, its ApoB value He interprets the studies to mean that the lower the ApoB level, the lower the risk of developing arteriosclerosis. For this reason, he takes various medications such as Statins, ezetimibe and PCSK-9 inhibitors to lower his blood lipid levels.
If you want to know the exact background about ApoB and find out what role your blood lipid levels play in longevity, then take a look at our guide on the topic blood lipid levels over.
To protect yourself against Cancer Peter Attia uses regular preventive examinations, such as gastroscopy and colonoscopy. neurodegenerative diseases he applies the same concept as in the arteriosclerosis because poorer blood circulation to the brain in old age is a risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Did you know?
Some studies have shown that people in countries where many soy products eaten had a lower risk of cancer. Soy, whether as tofu, soy milk or tempeh, contains many isoflavones, which can have a positive effect on telomere length. As a reminder: telomeres are the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes.
Another “widespread disease” is the diabetes or in its precursor the insulin resistance.Peter Attia sees insulin resistance as one of the main factors in the deterioration of health in old age.
Did you know?
The studies show that berberine, a naturally occurring dye extracted from the bark of the barberry plant, regulates several signaling pathways and longevity pathways, including AMPK, NF-κB, sirtuins and some others, has an effect on the body. Among other things, on our sugar metabolism. Berberine (as well as the trace elements chromium and zinc) have in several scientific studies the blood sugar level (especially insulin sensitivity) positive All three substances in combination are used in Berberine Mineral Complex from MoleQlar before.
Berberine phospholipid with chromium and zinc - for your sugar metabolism.
Sleep to live – Peter Attia on the importance of restful sleep.
At least since the renowned researcher Matthew Walker his bestseller book "The Big Book of Sleep" has brought out, a larger number of people are the Importance of good Sleep This includes Peter Attia, who experienced first-hand what chronic lack of sleep does to you in his earlier days as a surgeon. Nowadays, he attaches greater importance to sleep and regularly tries to 7 to 8 hours of sleep to get.
Did you know?
Another interesting material that soy is won is spermidineIt is a naturally occurring polyamine and shows in some studies life-prolonging effect. It can autophagy processes stimulate and discuss epigenetic changes in the cell nucleus old cells reappear "youthful“ switch.
High-dose spermidine from soybean extract and chlorella algae powder.
Mental health – what is the point of a long life if it is not worth living?
In the last chapter of his book, Peter Attia describes his very personal story and why he now believes that a healthy psyche is the most important ingredient in the anti-aging recipe. Without joy, a long life is more of a punishment than a gift. In collaboration with psychologists, Peter Attia was able toown demons from childhood" that have prevented him from living a happy life in the here and now.
This process was not easy for him. It was not a straight path and he had to deal with many setbacks.His anger and obsession, coupled with an obsession with perfectionism, almost cost him his marriage and many good friends. He was never enough for himself and always wanted to be better. But at some point this took the joy out of his life.
Only with the help of psychologists did he get back on track. It is a heartfelt appeal that, alongside all the optimization possibilities, one should not forget one’s own psyche.
Peter Attia's supplement routine
In his podcast, Peter Attia recently revealed which nutritional supplements he takes and what his reasons are:
- Omega-3 in the form of fish oil: Peter Attia takes a fairly high dose of 2g EPA and 1.5g DHA per day. In the podcast he also reveals his reason. He wants to achieve a concentration of EPA and DHA on the cell membrane of his red blood cells of 12%.
- vitamin D: Here he takes 5,000 International Units (IU) daily to achieve a vitamin D deficiency to prevent.
- magnesium: In total, he tries to take in 1 gram of magnesium. Mainly through magnesium oxide, which you can also find in our magnesium complex find.
- folic acid and vitamin B12: Peter Attia is a big fan of measurable biomarkers. A B12 and folic acid deficiency can lead to anemia. That's one of the reasons he takes these two supplements. Another is his homocysteine level. Too high levels of this amino acid can promote cardiovascular disease. Particularly effective against high homocysteine is betaine (TMG).
- Vitamin B6. Here, the American takes 50mg three times a week. B6 can also help with high homocysteine levels.
- acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)Here he takes a small dose every day, but warns that the research is not conclusive. The older you get, the higher the risk of falling. For this reason, you should not take aspirin without a clear indication!
- 2 g Glycine: This amino acid is a true all-rounder in our body. Did you know that around 35% of our collagen consists of glycine? collagen provides the firmness in our skin and decreasing collagen concentration is one of the reasons for our skin aging. If you combine glycine with three methyl groups, you get the betaine (TMG)Betaine releases the methyl groups in the body, For example, to help convert harmful homocysteine into harmless methionine.
- Ashwagandha: Peter Attia takes 600mg daily. The Indian ashwagandha is said to have several positive properties and has long been part of Ayurvedic medicine. Ashwagandha is said to promote sleep and stress alleviate.
