Photo by Tyler Ruiz

Dr. Peter Attia (peterattiamd.com, TW: @PeterAttiaMD, IG: @peterattiamd, FB: @peterattiamd) is a former ultra-endurance athlete (e.g., swimming races of 25 miles), a compulsive self-experimenter, and one of the most fascinating human beings I know. He is one of my go-to doctors for anything performance or longevity-related. He is also easily the best quarterback and sherpa for the US medical system I’ve ever met.

But here is his official bio to do him justice:

Peter is the founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice with offices in San Diego and New York City, focusing on the applied science of longevity.  The practice applies nutritional biochemistry, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, techniques to increase distress tolerance, lipidology, pharmacology, and four-system endocrinology to increase lifespan (delaying the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life).

Peter trained for five years at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in general surgery, where he was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including resident of the year, and the author of a comprehensive review of general surgery. He also spent two years at NIH as a surgical oncology fellow at the National Cancer Institute where his research focused on immune-based therapies for melanoma. He has since been mentored by some of the most experienced and innovative lipidologists, endocrinologists, gynecologists, sleep physiologists, and longevity scientists in the United States and Canada.

Peter earned his M.D. from Stanford University and holds a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics.

Peter also hosts The Drive, a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking and a few other things. Topics include fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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Want to hear the first time Peter was on the podcast? — Listen to our conversation here. In that interview, we discuss optimizing blood testing, drinking “jet fuel,” training for ultra-endurance sports, consuming synthetic ketones, using metabolic chambers, extending longevity by avoiding certain types of exercise, and much more. (Stream below or right-click here to download.)

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

• Connect with Peter Attia:

Website | Podcast | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

• Dr. Peter Attia vs. Tim Ferriss, The Tim Ferriss Show #352
• My Life Extension Pilgrimage to Easter Island, The Tim Ferriss Show #193
• Dr. Peter Attia on Life-Extension, Drinking Jet Fuel, Ultra-Endurance, Human Foie Gras, and More, The Tim Ferriss Show #50
• Training for the Centenarian Olympics, Dr. Mark Hyman
• Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms and Causes, The Mayo Clinic
• How to Goblet Squat, Men’s Health
• Sarcopenia, Wikipedia
• My Dog Toaster was Attacked by a Raccoon, Kevin Rose
• 7 Things You Didn’t Know about Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS), Athletes Edge
• Hex Deadlift Bar, Rogue Fitness
• Isometric vs. Concentric vs. Eccentric, James Braithwaite
• Intra-Abdominal Pressure: An Integrative Review, NCBI
• Metformin: Side Effects, Dosages, Treatment, Interactions, RxList
• Nir Barzilai, M.D.: How to Tame Aging, The Drive #35
• The 5 Training Zones, Vinnie Tortorich
• Mitochondria, Nature Education
• The Role of Glycogen in Diet and Exercise, Verywell Fit
• Acarbose: Side Effects, Dosage, Uses, and More, Healthline
• Egg Boxing, Peter Attia
• The World’s Largest Psychedelic Research Center, The Tim Ferriss Show #385
• F1.com: The Official Home of Formula 1
• What is the Institutional Review Board (IRB)? Oregon State University
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Autophagy: Definition, Diet, Fasting, Cancer, Benefits, and More, Healthline
• AMA #2: The Nothingburger — Results from Peter’s Week-Long Fast between Two Weeks of Nutritional Ketosis — and Answering Questions on All Things Fasting, The Drive #11
• Wanna Know What Keeps Me Up at Night? Peter Attia
• What Are the Differences between an Isocaloric Diet and a Eucaloric Diet? Quora
• Ketosis — Advantaged or Misunderstood State? Peter Attia
• SlowMag
• L-Threonate
• APOE Gene, Genetics Home Reference, NIH
• Tim Ferriss: Depression, Psychedelics, and Emotional Resilience, The Drive #01
• I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression by Terrence Real
• Peter Demonstrates How to Tear a Phone Book in Half, Instagram
• Sitka Gear
• Performance Archery, San Diego
• Peter Attia, The Joe Rogan Experience #1108
• Tim Ferriss Learns Archery, Archery Tag
• Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies, The Cornell Lab
• Nock On Podcast by John Dudley
• RX-3 Bow, Hoyt
• Compound Bow, Wikipedia
• Nock 2 It Custom Release, Nock On Archery
• Silverback Tension Release, Nock On Archery
• Meditation, Mindset, and Mastery, The Tim Ferriss Show #201
• Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind, The Tim Ferriss Show #342
• Waking Up (Sam Harris’ Meditation App)
• 10% Happier (Dan Harris’ Meditation App)
• Intimacy, Emotional Baggage, Relationship Longevity, and More — Esther Perel, The Tim Ferriss Show #271
• Taming Your Temper: The 10-Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Anger by Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic
• This is Water by David Foster Wallace
• Phenotype / Phenotypes, Nature Education
• Xenon | Xe, PubChem
• Airgas
• Praxair
• Russian Athletes Admit Xenon Doping at Winter Olympics, Irish Times
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, USADA
• Detection of Epitestosterone Doping by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry, Clinical Chemistry
• Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
• The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide — Risks, Micro-Dosing, Ibogaine, and More, The Tim Ferriss Show #66
• Senna (Documentary)
• What Is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor? (And Why You Should Care), Brainline
• How Exercise Beefs Up the Brain, Science
• Aerobic vs. Anaerobic: How Do Workouts Change the Body? ISSA
• Stability and Strength Training a La Maffetone, Running in Systems
• The “Real” Limitless Pill and the Nootropics Boom, Vox
• Modafinil: Side Effects, Dosages, Treatment, Interactions, RxList
• Matthew Walker, Ph.D., on Sleep – Part I of III: Dangers of Poor Sleep, Alzheimer’s Risk, Mental Health, Memory Consolidation, and More, The Drive #47
• Doc Parsley’s Sleep Remedy
• Felix Grey
• Relax Like A Pro: 5 Steps to Hacking Your Sleep, tim.blog
• Phosphorylation, ThermoFisher Scientific
• Alaska Bear Eye Mask
• chiliPAD
• OOLER
• Oura Ring
• Clase Azul Reposado
• Is Sugar Toxic? Peter Attia
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup Promotes Colon Tumor Growth in Mice, Weill Cornell Medicine
• Dance Scene, Sixteen Candles
• Smurfs
• The Darwin Awards
• Ed Catmull, President of Pixar, on Steve Jobs, Stories, and Lessons Learned, The Tim Ferriss Show #22
• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
• Freakonomics
• Inside The Actor’s Studio
• This American Life
• Bushnell’s Law, Wikipedia
• Meet The Parents
• Studying Studies, Peter Attia

SHOW NOTES

NOTE FROM THE EDITOE: Timestamps will be added shortly. 

• Something Peter’s been excited about lately: The concept of Centenarian Olympics.
• Peter describes one of his favorite exercises for all ages: The goblet squat.
• How Peter is training with dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS) to correct some of the weightlifting quirks he’s picked up over the years.
• Why is the ability to control our intra-abdominal pressure — especially as we age — so important?
• Something Peter has changed his mind about lately: The use of anti-diabetic drug metformin in healthy individuals for enhancing longevity.
• What are mitochondria, what role do they play in our metabolism, and how could taking metformin — a mitochondrial toxin — possibly be good for us?
• While certain drugs for certain people under certain conditions can improve and even save lives, never underestimate the power of fasting, exercise, and sleep.
• What is egg boxing?
• Something else Peter’s been excited about lately: The space and potency of fasting. We know it’s effective, but how can we scientifically quantify it for greater efficiency and secure the funding to do it?
• Peter’s current fasting regimen, diet, and supplement intake.
• Something else Peter has changed his mind about recently: The fate of one’s personality may not actually be set.
• A stupid and absurd thing Peter likes: Tearing phone books in half.
• Another stupid and absurd thing: Archery hunting, the consumption of wild game, and a 2021 goal to only eat food that he’s killed.
• What type of gear does Peter use currently?
• In archery, what is the significance of back tension?
• Something else Peter has changed his mind about recently: Childhood experiences that seem minor in the moment can linger long after the fact in unexpected ways — and we, as adults, need to make sure we’re not inadvertently creating negative experiences by behaving badly around the children in our lives (e.g., road raging).
• Tying in with Peter’s acknowledgment of the possibility that personality isn’t fixed in place, how has he managed his own relationship with anger?
• As someone who’s been historically skeptical of therapists, what are the characteristics of a therapist Peter would trust to help him reduce his own suffering?
• Another stupid and absurd thing: Since he was eight years old, Peter has played a game called Forks and Knives.
• Peter’s thoughts on The World Anti-Doping Agency’s efforts to stay ahead of performance-enhancing drugs not yet labeled as such or with restrictions that would be difficult to enforce — like xenon gas and growth hormone.
• Something else Peter’s been excited about lately: Racing cars.
• Something else Peter has changed his mind about recently: The benefits of exercise being much greater than he ever envisioned. But how does he think about type and dose for getting the most out of the effort involved?
• Since taking sleep expert Matt Walker’s advice to heart, how has Peter helped his patients improve their sleep quality, and how has his own sleep protocol changed?
• Another stupid and absurd thing: The “What If?” game.
• We discuss another game that comes with its own Kevin Rose story: “The How Much Would I Have to Pay You To…” game. How many times in human history has this game been played by women? What’s the worst thing Peter ever agreed to do when he played it in high school?
• Peter and I discuss what we’ve struggled with, enjoyed, and learned in the process of hosting our own podcasts, and what we’ve observed from the interviewing styles of others in the sphere.
• The sometimes intense prep work that goes into an interview, plus pointers for aspiring podcasters eager to get their feet wet before diving in headfirst.
• Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Posted on: November 27, 2019.

Please check out Tribe of Mentors, my newest book, which shares short, tactical life advice from 100+ world-class performers. Many of the world's most famous entrepreneurs, athletes, investors, poker players, and artists are part of the book. The tips and strategies in Tribe of Mentors have already changed my life, and I hope the same for you. Click here for a sample chapter and full details. Roughly 90% of the guests have never appeared on my podcast.

Who was interviewed? Here's a very partial list: tech icons (founders of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Pinterest, Spotify, Salesforce, Dropbox, and more), Jimmy Fallon, Arianna Huffington, Brandon Stanton (Humans of New York), Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ben Stiller, Maurice Ashley (first African-American Grandmaster of chess), Brené Brown (researcher and bestselling author), Rick Rubin (legendary music producer), Temple Grandin (animal behavior expert and autism activist), Franklin Leonard (The Black List), Dara Torres (12-time Olympic medalist in swimming), David Lynch (director), Kelly Slater (surfing legend), Bozoma Saint John (Beats/Apple/Uber), Lewis Cantley (famed cancer researcher), Maria Sharapova, Chris Anderson (curator of TED), Terry Crews, Greg Norman (golf icon), Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum), and nearly 100 more. Check it all out by clicking here.