Supplements for Longevity & Their Efficacy | Dr. Peter Attia

Andrew Huberman

Jul 29, 2024

Episode description

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Peter Attia, M.D., a Stanford and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine-trained physician expert in improving human healthspan and lifespan. Dr. Attia is also the host of The Drive podcast and author of the best-selling book Outlive.

We discuss the NAD pathway in human cells and its possible links to aging and health. We evaluate how supplementation can augment molecules in the NAD pathway; we compare NAD, NMN, and NR, different routes of administration, their safety, and bioavailability. Then, we discuss the broader research and clinical literature on longevity to decide if supplementation with NAD, NR, NMN, rapamycin, or resveratrol can indeed extend lifespan.

Finally, we each describe our supplement regimens and compare the role of supplementation to behaviors such as sleep, nutrition, and exercise for longevity. We also discuss whether tests of biological age are true indicators of aging and whether normal radiation levels increase cancer risk.

Listeners of this episode will learn if supplements purported to improve lifespan show any efficacy and the behaviors and other factors that can prevent disease and extend lifespan.

Access the full show notes for this episode: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-peter-attia-supplements-for-longevity-their-efficacy

*Thank you to our sponsors*
AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman
Levels: https://levels.link/huberman
Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman

*Huberman Lab Social & Website*
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman
Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com
Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter

*Dr. Peter Attia*
Website: https://peterattiamd.com
The Drive Podcast: https://peterattiamd.com/podcast
Newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter
X: https://x.com/PeterAttiaMD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peterattiamd
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterAttiaMD
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peterattiamd

*Timestamps*
00:00:00 Dr. Peter Attia, NAD Pathway
00:02:31 Sponsors: LMNT, Levels & Eight Sleep
00:06:38 Categories of Longevity Approaches
00:17:22 Peter’s Supplements; Rapamycin & Research Data
00:25:01 NAD Pathway: Energy & DNA Repair; Knock-Out & Knock-In, Klotho
00:30:35 Sponsor: AG1
00:32:25 Yeast, Sirtuins, Caloric Restriction & Lifespan
00:38:56 Sirtuins, Transgenic Mice, Gender & Lifespan
00:43:42 DNA Repair, Sirtuins, Cancer; Resveratrol
00:53:31 Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin Podcast
00:54:18 NAD & NADH, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), Mitochondrial Health
01:02:17 NAD vs NR vs NMN Supplementation; IV & Oral Routes
01:11:33 NR vs. NMN, Doses, Side Effects; Interventions Testing Program
01:17:43 Fatty Liver Disease & NR; NMN & Glucose; Clinical Significance
01:25:17 Safety & FDA, NMN & NR Supplementation; Skin Cancer Benefits
01:30:38 Longevity, NR & NMN Supplementation, Inflammation
01:41:00 Rapamycin & Immune Function
01:44:37 Biological Aging Tests, Chronologic & Biologic Age; Vigor
01:55:24 Radiation & Cancer Risk
01:58:12 Tool: Self-Care in 50s-70s & Aging; Energy Decline
02:07:12 Tool: Exercise Timing & Energy Levels
02:11:22 Peter’s Supplements
02:18:46 Andrew’s Supplements
02:24:34 Tool: Supplement Use vs. Critical Behaviors; Titanic Analogy
02:26:52 NAD Pathway Supplementation for Longevity?
02:28:52 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com

Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Reevaluate NAD precursor NR's effectiveness for longevity

In the Interventions Testing Program (ITP), the most rigorous tool for testing longevity molecules, the NAD precursor NR showed no extension of life or healthspan in mice.

#longevity

#supplement

Utilize rapamycin and caloric restriction for life extension

Rapamycin and caloric restriction are the only two interventions that have uniformly extended life across all major model organisms, from yeast to mammals.

#longevity

#rapamycin

Recognize caloric restriction and sirtuins as independent pathways

The long-held hypothesis that caloric restriction extends life by activating sirtuins is incorrect; evidence shows they are independent, parallel pathways.

#aging

#metabolism

Reassess aging: focus on redox potential, not just NAD levels

As we age, NAD levels decline but NADH levels increase, suggesting the real issue is a reduction in the cell's "redox potential," not a simple lack of total NAD.

#aging

#NAD

Implement weekly rapamycin protocol for health insights

Dr. Attia takes 8 milligrams of rapamycin once a week but often takes month-long breaks due to canker sores, which he views as a paradoxical biomarker for the drug's activity.

#protocol

#rapamycin

Consider NR or NMN supplementation for skin cancer reduction

The only benefit of NR or NMN supplementation that Dr. Attia finds potentially genuine is a study showing a significant reduction in non-melanoma skin cancers.

#cancer

#supplement

Question biological age tests for predictive power on life expectancy

Dr. Attia is highly skeptical of biological age tests, as their predictive power for life expectancy over simple chronological age has not been proven.

#biological-age

#longevity

Build physiologic reserve in critical decades for healthy aging

The decades from your 50s to your 70s are the most critical time to build physiologic reserve, as this period sets the stage for your health in your 80s and 90s.

#aging

#longevity

Prioritize lifestyle factors over supplements for health

Lifestyle factors like exercise and sleep are the heading of the Titanic, whereas supplements are merely the choice between steak or lobster for dinner.