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Peter Attia

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Peter Attia
Image
Attia in 2025
Born (1973-03-19) March 19, 1973 (age 53)[1]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
EducationQueen's University (BS)
Stanford University (MD)
OccupationsAuthor
Podcaster
Licensed physician
SpouseJill Attia
Children3
Websitepeterattiamd.com

Peter Attia (born March 19, 1973)[1] is a Canadian-American author, licensed physician and former researcher known for his work in longevity medicine. He is the author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.

Early life and education

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Attia was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the child of Egyptian Christian immigrant parents.[2] As a ten-year-old he hoped to become a professional ice hockey player.[3] As a teenager he took up boxing, which, as he later recounted in Outlive, gave him an outlet for the anger left by a difficult childhood, and he went on to compete at an elite junior level.[4]

He studied at Queen's University at Kingston, graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics.[5] While at Queen's he taught calculus and helped revamp the university's calculus curriculum, and he volunteered at a shelter for abused children. He then entered Stanford University School of Medicine, from which he received his Doctor of Medicine in 2001.[5][6][7] Attia has described how, determined to be ready for the operating room, he spent every Thursday night as a medical student practising suturing at his desk.[8]

Career

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Surgical training and cancer research

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From 2001 to 2006, Attia began a residency in general surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.[9] He left his general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins in 2006 and spent two years as a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, studying immunotherapy for melanoma.[10][11]

Consulting

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After dropping out of his residency program, Attia joined the consulting firm McKinsey & Company in the Palo Alto office as a member of the Corporate Risk Practice and Healthcare Practice.[citation needed] After the birth of his daughter, medical tests showed that Attia, although still in his thirties and exercising heavily, already had risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The finding prompted him to change his own diet and to make the prevention of chronic disease the focus of his work.[12] Attia also created the blog "The Eating Academy" (later "War on Insulin" and now peterattiamd.com) that mostly focuses on topics related to nutrition, physical activity, and longevity. Subsequently, he launched the podcast The Peter Attia Drive, in which he interviews experts each week, covering topics such as longevity, metabolic health, and medical research.[12]

Nutrition Science Initiative

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In 2012, Attia co-founded the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI) with Gary Taubes, with a primary focus on promoting nutrition research and tackling the growing health challenges linked to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic diseases.[13][14] In 2013, Attia was a speaker at TEDMED, where he shared insights on longevity.[15][16][17]

The organisation secured a $4.7 million seed grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation in 2012 and a further $35.5 million commitment in 2013, raising more than $40 million in total to test whether "all calories are created equal".[18] By 2013 NuSI was coordinating three major research projects across six academic institutions.[19] Attia stepped down at the end of 2015 to return to research.[18]

Longevity medicine

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In 2014, Attia returned to medical practice and founded a private clinic dedicated to longevity medicine,[20] a practice built on what he calls "Medicine 3.0": a proactive, personalised approach that aims to extend both lifespan and healthspan rather than waiting to treat disease once it appears.[21]

Attia contributed a chapter of advice to Tim Ferriss's 2016 book Tools of Titans.[22] In 2017, he posted on his YouTube Channel, with his first set of videos being instructional exercise videos. It now has more than a million subscribers and focuses on longevity content.[23] Subsequently, in 2018, he launched the podcast The Peter Attia Drive.[24]

In 2022 Attia served as the longevity physician on Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, a six-part documentary for National Geographic and Disney+ starring Chris Hemsworth and directed by Darren Aronofsky. In episode 5, Attia told Hemsworth that he carried the high-risk APOE4 allele, which places him at elevated risk of neurodegenerative aging of the Alzheimer's type.[25]

On March 28, 2023, Attia (with coauthor Bill Gifford) published his book Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity.[26] According to The New York Times Magazine, the book "has been a runaway best seller since it was published this spring [of 2023]";[27] it was No. 3 on the Amazon Charts for nonfiction as of August 24, 2023.[28][27] Attia was named in Time's 2024 list of influential people in health.[29] By October 2025, CBS News reported that Outlive had sold nearly three million copies and that The Peter Attia Drive had been downloaded more than 100 million times.[30] The Guardian called the book an "exhaustive, lucid exploration" of Attia's ideas while noting that the lifestyle changes it proposes could appear onerous and complicated.[31] GQ described it as exhaustive and clear, while observing that it raised more questions than it answered.[32]

In October 2025, Attia appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes, where he discussed the role of structured exercise and preventative health strategies in extending health span.[33]

From January to February 2026, Attia was a contributor to CBS News.[34]

Personal life

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Attia currently lives in the Austin, Texas, area with his wife and three children.[35] In 2005, Attia swam across the channel between Santa Catalina Island and Los Angeles, the 120th person to achieve that feat.[36]

He trained for the crossing by swimming roughly 20 to 30 miles per week alongside a surgical residency that at times reached 100 hours per week, and drew on his undergraduate training in mechanical engineering to analyse the physics of his stroke.[37] He said at the time that the swim was intended in part to draw attention to the Terry Fox Foundation's cancer-research work.[37] He has since completed the channel in both directions. Attia has also boxed, cycled competitively and competes in archery.[38]

Controversies

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In 2012, Attia co-founded the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI) with science journalist Gary Taubes to fund research into the carbohydrate–insulin model of obesity. The organization received a funding commitment of about $40 million from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.[39] Attia stepped down as president in 2015. NuSI later lost its research partners following disagreements over study design and the interpretation of pilot results, lost its principal funding, and largely ceased operations by 2018.[40]

Attia was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein in 2015 through Eva Andersson-Dubin.[41] Epstein's appointment calendars, released in 2025, recorded several meetings involving Attia.[42] Emails released in connection with the Epstein files documented communications between Attia and Epstein concerning patient referrals, accommodation, a hiring decision at Attia's clinic, and health and longevity.[41] According to Bloomberg, the last meeting between the two documented in the emails took place on September 28, 2018, while Attia was in New York for a cancer meeting he had invited Epstein to attend.[43]

On February 3, 2026, David founder Peter Rahal announced that Attia had stepped down as the company's chief science officer, and Attia's name and image were removed from the company's website.[44] Biograph, the testing startup Attia co-founded, declined to comment on his status.[45][46][47] Attia also publicly apologized for the content of some of his emails with Epstein.[48]

Oura litigation

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Attia began working with Oura in 2017 as an adviser and promoter of its smart ring, and invested in the company in 2018.[49][50] In February 2019, he entered into a stock option agreement signed by then-CEO Harpreet Rai. According to Attia's court filings, it gave him the right to acquire 20,000 shares at €1.76 per share in exchange for advisory and promotional services.[49] After Rai's departure in December 2021, Attia sought to exercise the options in January 2022. Oura declined to honor the agreement, and Attia filed a breach-of-contract suit in the Northern District of California in 2023.[49][50]

Oura has argued that its board never authorized the grant and that the agreement is invalid, citing the Finnish Companies Act, under which option rights are issued by the shareholders' general meeting or an authorized board rather than the CEO.[49] The company sought to move the dispute to arbitration in Helsinki under the shareholders' agreement Attia had accepted as an investor. The district court denied the motion in 2024, finding that Attia's investment and advisory agreements were separate. The Ninth Circuit affirmed on 21 March 2025, and the case has since proceeded in federal court in Oakland.[50][51][52]

Attia's suit is one of three similar claims over options allegedly promised by Rai. The others were brought by former NFL quarterback Drew Brees, whose case was sent to arbitration in 2025, and early investor Gurinder "Gordy" Bal.[53][52]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Amazon.com". Amazon. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  2. ↑ Machell, Ben (9 June 2023). "How to stay fit over 60? 9 changes to make now". The Times of London. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "Peter Attia". French-American Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  4. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Outside2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. 1 2 "Peter Attia". French-American Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Marchese, David (21 May 2023). "Want to Live Longer and Healthier? Peter Attia Has a Plan". The New York Times Magazine.
  7. ↑ "About Peter Attia, M.D." Peter Attia MD. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  8. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Freakonomics2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ↑ "Dr. Peter Attia on why he left residency". Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Peter Attia, MD | Penguin Random House".
  11. ↑ Martin, Kristen (26 February 2026). "The Problem With Peter Attia". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  12. 1 2 Heil, Nick (8 August 2024). "Has Peter Attia Found the Fountain of Youth? Our Writer Tries His Program to Find Out". Outside. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  13. ↑ Szokan, Nancy (25 August 2014). "Is it what we eat? Or that we overeat? A look at the effort to figure out why we're fat". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "What Makes You So Smart, Peter Attia? Pacific Standard". psmag.com. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  15. ↑ O'Connor, Anahad (12 July 2013). "Blaming the Patient, Then Asking Forgiveness". nytimes.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  16. ↑ Munro, Dan (24 April 2018). "Are We Fighting The Wrong Battle In The Obesity War?". forbes.com. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  17. ↑ "Attia P. TED: Is the Obesity Crisis Hiding a Bigger Problem?". ted.com. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  18. 1 2 Molteni, Megan (18 June 2018). "The Struggles of a $40 Million Nutrition Science Crusade". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Peter Attia Is Out To Change The World". Daily News of Open Water Swimming. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  20. ↑ Martin, Kristen (26 February 2026). "The Problem With Peter Attia". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Breitbart, Ben (15 November 2022). "Interview: Longevity Expert Dr. Peter Attia Discusses Tips for Long Lives and Working on Limitless with Chris Hemsworth". Laughing Place. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  22. ↑ Ferriss, Tim (2016). Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-1-328-68378-6.
  23. ↑ "Peter Attia MD". YouTube. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  24. ↑ "CBS Pulls '60 Minutes' Episode Featuring Peter Attia". TheWrap. February 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Angeline Jane Bernabe, Madison Marmen, Matthew Yahata (17 November 2022). "Chris Hemsworth discovers he may be at risk for Alzheimer's disease in new series, 'Limitless'". Good Morning America. ABC News. Retrieved 28 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ "Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity - New Book by Peter Attia". Peter Attia. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  27. 1 2 Marchese, David (21 May 2023). "Want to Live Longer and Healthier? Peter Attia Has a Plan". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  28. ↑ "Amazon Charts: Week of August 20, 2023". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  29. ↑ "TIME100 Health". TIME. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  30. ↑ O'Donnell, Norah (26 October 2025). "Dr. Peter Attia says enjoying a longer, healthier life requires serious training: "Life is a sport"". CBS News.
  31. ↑ Harris, John (28 March 2023). "The healthspan revolution: how to live a long, strong and happy life". The Guardian.
  32. ↑ Reiss, Sami (29 March 2023). "Why Mainstream Medicine Struggles to Prevent Chronic Disease—and What You Can Do About It". GQ.
  33. ↑ "Dr. Peter Attia says enjoying a longer, healthier life requires serious training: "Life is a sport" - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  34. ↑ Luscombe, Richard (30 January 2026). "A 'wellness bro', a cosmologist and an RFK Jr crony: meet Bari Weiss's new CBS News contributors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  35. ↑ "About Peter - Peter Attia". Peterattiamd.com. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  36. ↑ Rainey, James (18 October 2005). "30,000 strokes to go". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  37. 1 2 Rainey, James (18 October 2005). "30,000 strokes to go". Los Angeles Times.
  38. ↑ Court, Ben (10 March 2023). "Get Stronger, Live Longer!". Men's Health.
  39. ↑ "Billionaires Fund A 'Manhattan Project' For Nutrition And Obesity". NPR. 19 September 2012.
  40. ↑ "A "Big Bet" Grant to a Baby Nonprofit Goes Awry". Nonprofit Quarterly. 19 June 2018.
  41. 1 2 Kaufman, Maya; Gardner, Lauren (16 March 2026). "'I think she will be loyal': Jeffrey Epstein's role in Peter Attia's rise". Politico. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  42. ↑ "Jeffrey Epstein cultivated celebrity relationships for years. Many continued until his 2019 arrest for sex trafficking, documents show. - CBS News". 31 October 2025. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  43. ↑ "Peter Attia's Longevity Empire Rocked by Epstein Files". Bloomberg News. 18 March 2026. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  44. ↑ Santhosh, Christy (3 February 2026). "Longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia steps down from David Protein after Epstein links". Reuters. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  45. ↑ Bort, Julie (3 February 2026). "Epstein-linked longevity guru Peter Attia leaves David Protein, and his own startup 'won't comment'". TechCrunch. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  46. ↑ Astor, Maggie; Mullin, Benjamin (23 February 2026). "Peter Attia Leaves CBS News Amid Epstein Files Fallout". New York Times. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  47. ↑ Arkin, Daniel (23 February 2026). "Peter Attia leaves CBS News contributor role amid fallout from Epstein files". NBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  48. ↑ "Dr. Peter Attia, longevity expert, apologizes for "indefensible" emails to Jeffrey Epstein - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  49. 1 2 3 4 Kauranen, Anne (15 June 2026). "A massive dispute simmers at Oura amidst its listing: Talouselämä investigated the billion-dollar company's muddle". Talouselämä (in Finnish). Alma Media.
  50. 1 2 3 Attia v. Oura Ring, Inc. (N.D. Cal. 1 April 2024), Text.
  51. ↑ Attia v. Oura Ring, Inc. (9th Cir. 21 March 2025), Text.
  52. 1 2 Greene, Jenna (9 July 2025). "COMMENTARY: Oura ring maker faces trio of stock option lawsuits by ex-promoters. What happened?". Reuters. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  53. ↑ Kauranen, Anne (15 June 2026). "A massive dispute simmers at Oura amidst its listing: Talouselämä investigated the billion-dollar company's muddle". Talouselämä (in Finnish). Alma Media.
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