Recommendation for Dr. Peter Attia's Book "Outlive"

Our customers sometimes ask us to recommend resources for learning more about science, health, aging, and approaches to increasing healthspan.

With that in mind, I am enthusiastically recommending the book “Outlive” by Dr. Peter Attia, MD to anyone seeking valuable insights and practical advice on enhancing their health and longevity (Attia and Gifford 2023). With his extensive knowledge and experience as a physician and his professional expertise in longevity and aging, Dr. Attia provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking guide to optimizing our well-being and extending our healthspan.

In “Outlive,” Dr. Attia thoughtfully delves into the underlying science and evidence behind healthy aging. He provides clear, understandable explanations of complex scientific concepts along with citations of primary source materials. And by intertwining scientific research with personal anecdotes, he creates a compelling narrative that motivates readers to make positive changes in their lives.

I greatly enjoyed Dr. Attia’s personal anecdote about the Dunning-Kruger Effect (depicted in his graph on p. 293), in which the attainment of small amounts of knowledge on a subject can lead one to have an enthusiastic overestimation of competence on that subject. Many of us have undoubtedly recognized that effect in our own lives as we learn new things.

Knowing that people are responsible for choosing their own pathways, Dr. Attia presents actionable steps and strategies, backed by scientific evidence and real-world examples. This includes both personal lifestyle approaches and clinical measurements and interventions. And he suggests that individuals that want to “live better longer” start these steps earlier in their lives than they might be accustomed to considering.

In our work at Pathways Bioscience, we are interested in the role that dietary activation of the NRF2 transcription factor can play in upregulation of cellular defenses and healthspan. Relevant to gene transcription factors and gene expression in healthy aging, Dr. Attia wrote:

“…While your genome is immutable, at least for the near future, gene expression can be influenced by your environment and your behaviors…” (p. 70). That is a very important concept, that things like exercise, sleep, and nutrition can have a beneficial impact on the expression of genes that participate in healthy aging.

In short, "Outlive" is an exceptional book that combines scientific rigor, personal insights, and practical recommendations to help readers pursue longer, healthier lives.

For another way to find Dr. Attia’s assessments of current biomedical research findings and additional insights regarding human health, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and aging I also strongly recommend listening to his popular podcast (The Drive).

References:
Attia, Peter, and Bill Gifford. 2023. Outlive : the science & art of longevity (Harmony: New York).

Brooks Hybertson, PhD