Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity

Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity

Peter Attia, Bill Gifford

4.36(70644 readers)
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A groundbreaking manifesto on living better and longer that challenges the conventional medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health, from a visionary physician and leading longevity expert

Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.

For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late to help, prolonging lifespan at the expense of healthspan, or quality of life. Dr. Attia believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we take action now, rather than waiting.

This is not “biohacking,” it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual. In Outlive, readers will discover:

• Why the cholesterol test at your annual physical doesn’t tell you enough about your actual risk of dying from a heart attack.
• That you may already suffer from an extremely common yet underdiagnosed liver condition that could be a precursor to the chronic diseases of aging.
• Why exercise is the most potent pro-longevity “drug”—and how to begin training for the “Centenarian Decathlon.”
• Why you should forget about diets, and focus instead on nutritional biochemistry, using technology and data to personalize your eating pattern.
• Why striving for physical health and longevity, but ignoring emotional health, could be the ultimate curse of all.

Aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think; our fate is not set in stone. With the right roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before.

Publisher

Harmony

Publication Date

3/28/2023

ISBN

9780593236598

Pages

496

Categories

Life & Leisure

About the Author

Peter Attia

Peter Attia

Peter Attia, MD, is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of simultaneously lengthening their lifespan and increasing their healthspan. He is the host of The Drive, one of the most popular podcasts covering the topics of health and medicine. He is also the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.

Dr. Attia received his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine and trained for five years at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in general surgery, where he was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including resident of the year. He spent two years at the National Institutes of Health as a surgical oncology fellow at the National Cancer Institute, where his research focused on immune-based therapies for melanoma.

Questions & Answers

The "Long Game" refers to the concept of extending both lifespan and healthspan, focusing on living longer and healthier for a longer period. It contrasts with the traditional approach of merely extending lifespan without improving healthspan, which often results in a "Marginal Decade" of declining health before death. The Long Game emphasizes proactive strategies like exercise, nutrition, sleep, and emotional health to maintain and improve physical and cognitive function throughout life. By addressing the root causes of chronic diseases and focusing on prevention, the Long Game aims to delay or avoid age-related decline, enabling individuals to live longer and enjoy a higher quality of life.

The book defines the "Marginal Decade" as the period of life, typically in one's seventies and eighties, characterized by diminished health and cognitive function, leading to a reduced quality of life. It contrasts this with the "Bonus Decade," a period of continued health and vitality well into old age.

To avoid the Marginal Decade, the book suggests a comprehensive strategy focusing on:

  1. Longevity Alpha: Implementing lifestyle changes that minimize risks and promote longevity.
  2. Understanding Genetics: Learning about genetic predispositions and how to mitigate them.
  3. Medicine 3.0: Adopting a proactive approach to health, focusing on prevention rather than treatment.
  4. Exercise: Engaging in regular physical activity, emphasizing aerobic efficiency, strength, and stability.
  5. Nutritional Biochemistry: Focusing on the quality of food and its impact on metabolism.
  6. Sleep: Prioritizing sleep quality and quantity.
  7. Emotional Health: Addressing emotional well-being to maintain overall health.

In the book, risk plays a crucial role in longevity, emphasizing a proactive approach rather than the traditional reactive one. It differs from traditional medicine by focusing on long-term risk assessment and prevention. The book argues that Medicine 3.0, the new paradigm, requires patients to be informed and actively participate in their health management. This involves understanding and managing risks like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases through lifestyle changes, such as exercise, nutrition, sleep, and emotional health. Unlike Medicine 2.0, which often waits for disease to manifest before intervention, Medicine 3.0 aims to prevent chronic diseases and improve healthspan by addressing risks early and continuously. This shift from a disease-focused to a risk-focused approach is central to the book's longevity strategy.

The book integrates various lifestyle aspects into a longevity strategy by emphasizing a comprehensive approach that encompasses exercise, nutrition, sleep, and emotional health. It argues for a shift from Medicine 2.0's reactive, disease-focused approach to Medicine 3.0, which prioritizes prevention and risk reduction.

Exercise is highlighted as the most potent longevity "drug," with a focus on components like strength, stability, and aerobic efficiency. Nutrition is approached through the lens of nutritional biochemistry, focusing on caloric intake, macronutrient balance, and the impact of specific nutrients on metabolism and health. Sleep is recognized for its crucial role in cognitive function, memory, and emotional well-being. Emotional health is also addressed, emphasizing the impact of emotional suffering on overall health. The book advocates for a personalized, evidence-informed approach, allowing individuals to tailor their strategies based on their unique risk factors and goals.

The "Centenarian Decathlon" is a framework developed to organize personal longevity goals, particularly focusing on the later decades of life. It involves selecting ten or more physical tasks that one aims to perform well into old age, such as hiking, lifting, or climbing stairs. This list, or "Decathlon," serves as a personalized template for training and maintaining fitness. By setting specific goals, individuals can tailor their exercise routines to ensure they maintain the physical capabilities needed for daily activities and personal interests. The concept encourages a holistic approach to fitness, emphasizing cardiovascular efficiency, strength, stability, and injury prevention, ultimately aiming to emulate the longevity and healthspan of centenarians.

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