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 discusses a variety of topics for a healthy and long life with guests.
Peter Attia also became known outside the scientific community with his new book “Outlive – The Science and Art of Longevity”. But after all the scientific studies, what is his recipe for success in order to live a healthy life for as long as possible? Find out more about Peter Attia's background here and which routines he believes lead to a higher level of success lead to life expectancy.
Who is Peter Attia?
For those who don't know him, Peter Attia is a Stanford graduate and former general surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital. However, his childhood dream was not medicine, but to become a professional boxer . More than 6 hours of training per day was normal for him. While sport still plays a crucial role in his life, his goals have changed quite a bit.
Peter Attia's background
After graduating in math and engineering, he switched to medicine. Early in his career he realized that he was interested in classical medicine, which he described in his book as Medicine 2.0 is not sufficient. Too often he had to witness that his patients' illnesses had progressed too far to really be cured.
This frustrated him so much that he gave up his surgical career and initially changed industries completely. He worked for the management consultancy McKinsey for a few years, before he found his way back to medicine. In his practice (“Early Medical”) he is dedicated to longevity and the prevention of illnesses.
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 him as a high achiever at school. According to him, this was not the case. He tended to get lost at school and many teachers didn't 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 leads primarily through physical exercise.
What is Peter Attia doing today?
In addition to his medical practice, Peter Attia appears in several podcasts and also moderates his own, “Drive “, where he discusses the latest scientific findings on the topic of longevity. As a result, he managed to spark enthusiasm for scientific topics among the masses over months and years. For example, David Sinclair has achieved something similar with his book “Lifespan”.
In his book, Peter Attia looks at the most important reasons for aging and explains clearly (albeit in English) what we can do about it. He not only lists loose scientific studies to support his theses but also practices the scientific findings in his everyday life. In his book he takes the reader on his personal and exciting journey, including missteps and mistakes, through the world of longevity research.
Medicine 3.0 – what is behind the term?
About 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 can be shown in the laboratory with elevated blood sugar levels . Medicine 3.0 , on the other hand, takes a closer look at the causes behind the disease and treats the diabetes at an earlier stage, when insulin resistance is present. This is still reversible.
The basis for his statements are the 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, take a look at our series of articles on the topic Hallmarks of Aging pure. Here you will find the individual molecular building blocks of aging explained in an understandable way and with tangible examples.
Did you know?
Peter Attia set fitness goals for himself at the young age of 13. Back then he wrote things down on small pieces of paper, but this method helped him to get better and better. 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 illnesses – the four horsemen of the apocalyptic
Peter Attia invests a large part of his working time in the Prevention of chronic illnesses. In particular, he focuses on four disease groups that he likes to refer to as the four horsemen of the apocalyptic because they are responsible for more than 80% of deaths in people over 50 who do not smoke.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are:
- Arteriosclerosis (associated with cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the cerebral 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:
Sport, sport, sport! One of the main pillars in Peter Attia's book is his passionate plea for more Exercise:
“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 everyone. At least 10 hours a week including some somewhat “unusual” exercises may sound quite ambitious.
One of Peter Attia's favorite exercises is running fast with a 20-30 kilogram backpack on his back. Based on the intensity and scope of the training, you can recognize the (almost) professional athlete behind it. Peter Attia himself says that he needs the endorphin rush to survive.
Nevertheless, this shouldn't scare anyone away. Just 90 minutes of exercise a week can have a very positive effect on your health!
Sport – and what else?
Although sport takes up a few chapters in Peter Attia's book, there are a few other ingredients to his anti-aging recipe.
To prevent arteriosclerosis, he has regular blood tests carried out to, among other things, check his ApoB value to be determined. He interprets the studies in such a way that the lower the ApoB value, 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 would like 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 himself against cancer , Peter Attia uses regular preventive examinations, such as gastroscopy and colonoscopy. Against neurodegenerative diseases he applies the same concept as for arteriosclerosis , Because poorer blood flow to the brain in old age is a risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Did you know?
In some studies it was noticed that people in countries where a lot of soy products are eaten had a lower risk of cancer. Soy, whether as tofu, soy milk or tempeh, contains many isoflavones that 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 diabetes or its precursor, 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 that comes from the Bark of the barberry plants is obtained via the regulation of 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 positive effects on blood sugar levels (in this case insulin sensitivity) < in several scientific studies t6>can influence. All three substances in combination occur in the berberine mineral complex from MoleQlar .
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 aware of the importance of good sleep realized. This also includes Peter Attia, who experienced firsthand what chronic lack of sleep can do to you during his previous time as a surgeon. Nowadays he attaches more importance to sleep and tries to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep on a regular basis.
Did you know?
Another interesting substance that is obtained from Soy is Spermidine. It is a naturally occurring polyamine and shows life-extending effects in some studies . It can stimulate autophagy processes and regrow old cells via epigenetic changes in the cell nucleus “youthful” switch.
Spermidine in high doses from soybean extract and chlorella algae powder.
Mental health – what's the point of a long life if it's 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. Working with psychologists, Peter Attia was able to work through his “own demons from childhood” that prevented him from living a happy life in the here and now.
This process had not been easy for him. It wasn't a straight path either; he had to deal with many setbacks. His anger and obsession, coupled with an obsession for 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.
It was only with the help of psychologists that he got back on the right track. It is a heartfelt appeal that, in addition to all the optimization options, you should not forget your own psyche.
Peter Attia's supplement routine
In his podcast, Peter Attia recently revealed which dietary supplements he takes and his reasons behind them:
- 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 at 12%.
- Vitamin D: Here he takes 5 daily.000 International Units (IU) to prevent Vitamin D deficiency .
- Magnesium: He tries to consume a total of 1 gram of magnesium. Mainly through magnesium oxide, which you can also find in our magnesium complex .
- 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 diseases. Betaine (TMG) is also particularly effective against high levels of homocysteine .
- Vitamin B6. Here the American takes 50mg three times a week. B6 can also help if homocysteine levels are too high.
- Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Here he takes a small dose every day, but at the same time warns that the study situation is not clear. The older you get, the higher your risk of falling becomes. For this reason, you should not use aspirin without a clear indication!
- 2 g Glycine: This amino acid is a true all-rounder in our body. Did you know that approx. 35% of our collagen consists of glycine? Collagen provides the strength 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) known from beetroot. Betaine releases the methyl groups in the body to help, for example, in converting the harmful homocysteine into the harmless methionine.
- Ashwagandha: Peter Attia takes 600mg daily. The Indian sleep berry is said to have some positive properties and has long been part of Ayurvedic healing. Ashwagandha is said to promote sleep and stress in particular.
