#307 ‒ Exercise for aging people: where to begin, and how to minimize risk while maximizing potential | Peter Attia, M.D.
Release Date: 06/24/2024
#381 ‒ Alzheimer’s disease in women: how hormonal transitions impact the female brain, the role of HRT, genetics, and lifestyle on risk, and emerging diagnostics and therapies | Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Lisa Mosconi is a world-renowned neuroscientist and the director of the Women’s Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she studies how sex differences and hormonal transitions influence brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease risk. In this episode, Lisa explores why Alzheimer’s disease disproportionately affects women and why longer lifespan alone does not explain their nearly twofold risk compared to men. She explains why Alzheimer’s disease may be best understood as a midlife disease for women, beginning decades before symptoms appear, and how menopause represents a...
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#380 ‒ The seed oil debate: are they uniquely harmful relative to other dietary fats? | Layne Norton, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Layne Norton is a nutrition scientist and accomplished power athlete,who returns to The Drive for a conversation that departs from the show’s usual format. In this episode, Layne presents the evidence-based case that seed oils are not uniquely harmful under isocaloric conditions, while Peter steelmans the strongest versions of the opposing argument that seed oils are inherently harmful. They examine how scientific bias and evidence are evaluated, revisit the historical randomized controlled trials that shaped the seed oil controversy, and explore the mechanistic biology underlying LDL...
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#379 - AMA #79: A guide to cardiorespiratory training at any fitness level to improve healthspan, lifespan, and long-term independence
The Peter Attia Drive
In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter brings together his most up-to-date thinking on cardiorespiratory fitness into a single, practical guide designed to help listeners structure training for maximal impact on healthspan, lifespan, and long-term independence. He explains why cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the strongest modifiable predictors of longevity, clarifies what zone 2 training actually represents and how it differs from higher-intensity work, and addresses persistent confusion around exercise volume, intensity, and time constraints. The discussion covers how to...
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#378 ‒ Women’s health and performance: how training, nutrition, and hormones interact across life stages | Abbie Smith-Ryan, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Abbie Smith-Ryan is a leading researcher in exercise physiology whose work focuses on how training and nutrition influence body composition, metabolism, cardiovascular health, and women’s health across the lifespan, with particular attention on perimenopause and post-menopause. In this episode, Abbie explains how early exercise and play help build the foundation for bone health, muscle development, and cardiorespiratory fitness in girls, as well as how puberty and menstruation shape athletic performance, motivation, and recovery. She also explores how women can tailor training and...
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Building & Changing Habits | James Clear (#183 rebroadcast)
The Peter Attia Drive
James Clear is the author of the New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits. His extensive research into human behavior has helped him identify key components of habit formation and develop the “Four Laws of Behavioral Change.” In this episode, James provides insights into how both good and bad habits are formed, including the influence of genetics, environment, social circles, and more. He points to changes one can make to cultivate more perseverance and discipline and describes the profound impact habits can have when tying them into one’s self-identity. Finally, James breaks down his...
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#377 ‒ Special episode: Understanding true happiness and the tools to cultivate a meaningful life—insights from past interviews with Arthur Brooks
The Peter Attia Drive
In this special episode of The Drive, Peter presents a curated “best of” conversation with bestselling author and previous guest Arthur Brooks, organized around four core themes: happiness itself, the forces that undermine it, the tools and practices that help cultivate it, and the courage required to live and love well. The episode brings together the most meaningful moments from two past interviews into a single, focused discussion that distills Brooks’ most insightful ideas and offers practical takeaways for building a life that's both successful and deeply happy. We discuss: ...
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#376 - AMA #78: Longevity interventions, exercise, diagnostic screening, and managing high apoB, hypertension, metabolic health, and more
The Peter Attia Drive
In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter tackles a wide-ranging set of listener questions spanning lifespan interventions, exercise, cardiovascular risk reduction, time-restricted eating, blood pressure management, hormone therapy, diagnostics, and more. Peter reveals the single most important lever for extending healthspan and lifespan, and explains how he motivates midlife patients using the Centenarian Decathlon framework. He discusses the importance of addressing high apoB and cholesterol even in metabolically healthy individuals with calcium scores of zero, how to manage high...
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#375 - Ketogenic diet, ketosis & hyperbaric oxygen: metabolic therapies for weight loss, cognition, Alzheimer’s & more | Dom D’Agostino, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Dom D'Agostino is a neuroscientist and professor at the forefront of metabolic therapies, including ketogenic diets, exogenous ketones, and hyperbaric oxygen. In this episode, Dom breaks down nutritional versus supplemental ketosis, defines meaningful ketone thresholds, and outlines practical ways to achieve ketosis. He explains how a ketogenic diet can support metabolic health and weight loss, and advises on how to maintain adequate protein and avoid common mistakes. Dom surveys the growing landscape of exogenous ketones—from salts and esters to 1,3-butanediol—and effective pairings...
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#374 - The evolutionary biology of testosterone: how it shapes male development and sex-based behavioral differences, | Carole Hooven, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Carole Hooven is a human evolutionary biologist whose research centers on testosterone, sex differences, and behavior. In this episode, she explores how prenatal testosterone orchestrates male development in the body and brain, how early hormonal surges shape lifelong behavioral tendencies, and what rare natural experiments—such as 5-alpha-reductase deficiency—reveal about the biology of sex differentiation. She discusses distinct male and female aggression styles through an evolutionary lens, how modern environments interact with ancient competitive drives, and the implications of...
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The impact of gratitude, serving others, embracing mortality, and living intentionally | Walter Green (#288 rebroadcast)
The Peter Attia Drive
Walter Green is a remarkable philanthropist, mentor, author of This Is the Moment!, and founder of the impactful “Say It Now” movement. In this episode, Walter delves into the unique insights gained from his challenging upbringing, discusses embracing mortality, and highlights the mindset of “finishing strong.” He shares insights on intentionality, thinking in reverse, saying “no,” prioritizing relationships, and the essence of focusing on others. The conversation focuses on the “Say It Now” movement, which stresses the importance of expressing sentiments to loved ones well...
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In this special episode, Peter addresses the common questions about starting or returning to an exercise routine over the age of 50. Individuals in this age group have frequently reached out with questions about whether it's too late to start exercising and often express concern over a lack of prior training, a fear of injury, or uncertainty about where to begin. Peter delves into the importance of fitness for older adults, examining all four pillars of exercise, and provides practical advice on how to start exercising safely, minimize injury risk, and maximize potential benefits. Although this conversation focuses on people in the “older” age category, it also applies to anyone of any age who is deconditioned and looking to ease into regular exercise.
We discuss:
- Key points about starting exercise as an older adult [2:45];
- Why it’s never too late to begin exercising and incorporating the four pillars of exercise [5:45];
- The gradual, then sharp, decline in muscle mass and activity level that occur with age [10:00];
- The decline of VO2 max that occurs with age [15:30];
- Starting a training program: exercise variability, movement quality, realistic goals, and more [18:30];
- Improving aerobic capacity: the malleability of the system, the importance of consistency, and setting long-term fitness goals [25:15];
- Starting cardio training: base building, starting with low volume, and zone 2 training [30:45];
- The critical role of VO2 max in longevity [36:45];
- How to introduce VO2 max training to older or deconditioned individuals [46:15];
- Options for performing zone 2 and VO2 max training [53:45];
- The ability to make gains in strength and muscle mass as we age [57:00];
- How to implement strength training for older individuals [1:01:00];
- Advice for avoiding injury when strength training [1:07:30];
- Risk of falls: the devastating consequences and the factors that increase fall risk [1:12:15];
- Mitigating fall risk: the importance of foot and lower leg strength, ankle mobility, and balance [1:19:45];
- Improving bone mineral density through resistance training [1:24:30];
- The importance of protein in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, especially in older adults [1:31:00];
- Parting advice from Peter [1:34:00]; and
- More.
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