Libsyn Directory

#380 ‒ The seed oil debate: are they uniquely harmful relative to other dietary fats? | Layne Norton, Ph.D.

Release Date: 01/19/2026

#385 - AMA #82: Applying the tools of longevity in the real world: disease prevention, DEXA scans, artificial sweeteners, injury recovery, stability training, habit formation, protein intake and mTOR activation, and more

The Peter Attia Drive

In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter answers listener questions across a wide range of topics, focusing on practical decision-making and real-world application. He explores how health priorities and strategies should evolve across different decades of life, which chronic diseases are most challenging to manage and how to think about risk hierarchies, and which emerging interventions—beyond exercise—show the most promise for dementia prevention. Peter also breaks down the utility of wearables and explains how to use and interpret DEXA scans effectively. He discusses the...

#384 - Special episode — Obicetrapib: The CETP inhibitor with cardiovascular benefits and potential Alzheimer's prevention

The Peter Attia Drive

In this special episode, Peter takes a deep dive into obicetrapib, an investigational drug that has captured his attention and renewed interest in an entire class of therapies known as CETP inhibitors. He explains what obicetrapib is and how it works, revisits the history of CETP inhibitors and why earlier versions of these drugs failed—sometimes dramatically—and breaks down the key clinical trials designed to evaluate their impact on cardiovascular risk. Peter examines how obicetrapib influences major lipid biomarkers, including LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], and discusses...

#380 ‒ The seed oil debate: are they uniquely harmful relative to other dietary fats? | Layne Norton, Ph.D.

The Peter Attia Drive

#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...

#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...

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...

#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: ...

#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...

#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...

#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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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 oxidation and atherosclerosis. Along the way, Layne unpacks the chemistry and processing of modern seed oils, assesses evolutionary and ancestral nutrition arguments, clarifies the relationship between seed oils, ultra-processed foods, and contemporary dietary patterns, and situates these questions within the larger context of lifestyle factors that drive cardiometabolic health. Layne concludes by offering practical considerations around dietary fats, cooking oils, and real-world food choices.

We discuss:

The idea behind this episode, biases, and evidence-based thinking [5:15];
The four core arguments behind claims that seed oils are harmful [12:30];
The Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE) [14:30];
The differences among saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats, and why those differences matter for cardiovascular disease [18:30];
Missing trans fat data as a confounder in the Minnesota Coronary Experiment, other limitations of that study, and the challenge detecting meaningful differences in hard outcomes through nutrition research [24:00];
The Sydney Diet Heart Study (SDHS): an attempt to address the “duration problem” by enrolling a much higher-risk population [28:30];
Debating whether evidence from randomized trials supports the idea that seed oils are uniquely harmful once major confounders are removed [34:00];
The Rose Corn Oil trial: an often-cited study used to argue against polyunsaturated fats [36:30];
Three studies where replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat produced different results than earlier trials [41:30];
Layne’s explanation for why the evidence is pointing towards cardiovascular risk reduction when substituting polyunsaturated fat for saturated fat [47:30];
What Mendelian randomization says about the causal role of LDL cholesterol in ASCVD [56:45];
The compounding effects of life-long exposure to high LDL cholesterol [1:06:45];
Does the linoleic acid (omega-6) content of seed oils cause inflammation? [1:13:45];
Does the linoleic acid (omega-6) content of seed oils increase oxidized LDL? [1:19:30];
Layne’s analogy to explain why lower LDL particle number outweighs higher per-particle oxidation risk when comparing polyunsaturated fats to saturated fats [1:26:15];
The role of oxidized LDL in CVD: exploring differences in a diet high in polyunsaturated fat (seed oils) versus high in saturated fat [1:28:00];
Examining whether industrial processing and solvent extraction of seed oils—especially residual hexane—could plausibly cause long-term harm [1:34:00];
The evolutionary and “ancestral diet” argument against seed oils [1:40:45];
Weighing concerns about industrial processing of seed oils against the totality of metabolic and cardiovascular evidence [1:47:30];
Practical considerations around dietary fats, cooking oils, and real-world food choices [1:50:00];
Comparing the health impact of seed oils with that of caloric intake and activity levels, and how to prioritize interventions [2:00:15];
More.

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