The Peter Attia Drive

Latest Episodes:

#03 - Ron Krauss, M.D.: a deep dive into heart disease Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

Whenever I'm stumped on a patient case or in my thinking about lipids, Ron is one of the first people I turn to for insight. Ron is recognized globally for his research into lipidology and has worn many hats in his career, including clinician, lipidologist, nutrition, genetics, and drug research.

In this episode, we explore heart disease at its origins before diving into the highly discussed, largely misunderstood, role of LDL and inflammation in atherosclerosis. Ron also shares his insights on the evidence for and against statins and other lipid-lowering therapies. My hope is that both the curious patient and the physician can get a lot out of this episode by being more informed about dyslipidemia and the interventions used to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic disease. We covered a lot of ground on this critically important topic.

We discuss:

The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis [7:00];
How early atherosclerosis begins [12:40];
Ron's motivation for getting into lipidology [43:00];
How reading an article series in the NEJM in 1967 had a profound impact on him and his career [43:30];
How PCSK9 inhibitors work and why they may be under-utilized [47:00];
Mendelian randomization: nature's randomized trial [49:15];
The "battle" between particle size and particle number [52:00];
The use of statins [1:04:45];
The role of chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis [1:24:15];
Why niacin may have been unjustly dismissed as a therapeutic option [1:40:45];
The HDL paradox: why drugs that raise HDL-C seem to raise (or have little impact on) heart disease risk [1:43:00];
Lp(a) [1:47:45];
And more.

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#02 - Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.: the performance and longevity paradox of IGF-1, ketogenic diets and genetics, the health benefits of sauna, NAD+, and more Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

Rhonda and I go on a Nerd Safari into the jungle of health, nutrition, fitness, performance, and longevity. We visit IGF-1 and whether there's a tradeoff of having high or low levels. We discuss the PPARs (receptor proteins) and genetic polymorphisms. Does Rhonda think there's any benefit in a NAD+ booster for health and longevity? Can saunas lower the risk of heart disease, dementia, and all-cause mortality?

Rhonda is a wealth of knowledge on so many topics and was the perfect companion to dig into so many fun topics in this episode. She puts a ton of thought into her research and it really shows in this conversation.

We discuss:

What Rhonda believes differently today than she did a few years ago [5:40];
The paradox of GH/IGF-1 in performance and longevity [21:00];
The role of PPAR in fat metabolism and ketogenic diets [23:00];
The possible genetic explanations for why some patients don't respond well to a ketogenic diet [31:00];
The health benefits of heat and cold exposure [1:12:30];
NAD+ [1:32:45];
And more.

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#01 - Tim Ferriss: depression, psychedelics, and emotional resilience Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

Excited to kick off the podcast with special guest and close friend Tim Ferriss, lifehacker, podcaster extraordinaire, and author of multiple best-selling books that includes The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, Tools of Titans, and Tribe of Mentors.

In this podcast we cover mental health, depression, and our mutual interest in psychedelics as potential therapeutic agents. Tim talks both experientially and from his own deep dive into the literature of psychedelics and mental health. Tim is shifting his focus from investing in startups to funding experiments that he hopes will establish more reliable knowledge and therapeutic options for those suffering from anxiety, depression, and addiction.

Tim also shared his list of acquired wisdom he returns to most reliably, which might be worth the price of admission alone.

We discuss:

Tim's history of depression and his TED Talk on his close call with suicide [11:15];
The type of thinking that triggers Tim's downward spirals [17:15];
Tim's transformative experience with ayahuasca [48:45];
How Tim's experience and research has led him to focus on furthering the science on psychedelics and mental health [53:00];
What some of the meditation modalities, and meditation apps, are out there, why meditation can be so hard to do, but also worthwhile to stick with [1:13:00];
Why Tim made a big commitment (more than $1 million) to funding scientific research, and to psilocybin and MDMA research, in particular [1:31:00];
From all the habits and tools that Tim has learned, the five things that he returns to most reliably [2:33:00];
And more.

Learn more at www.PeterAttiaMD.com

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#00 - Sneak Peek: The Peter Attia Drive Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to a special sneak peek of The Peter Attia Drive. The Peter Attia Drive will feature guests and experts that will offer advice and insight to help you optimize performance, health, longevity, critical thinking, and life. It's hosted by Stanford M.D., TED speaker, and longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia, founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice with offices in San Diego and New York City.

Learn more at www.PeterAttiaMD.com

Connect with Peter on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.