Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity

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Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity is a non-fiction health and wellness book authored by Peter Attia, a physician specializing in longevity, and co-written with journalist Bill Gifford. [1] Published in March 2023, Outlive was listed on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2023 and 2024. [2] [3] The book is divided into three parts with 17 chapters in total, exploring various aspects of longevity. [4]

Contents

Synopsis

Outlive presents a guide to preventing age-related diseases and promoting longevity through lifestyle changes, emphasizing the importance of managing physical and emotional health. [5] He sees longevity as encompassing two aspects: the length of life and the quality of life. Healthspan, a major theme in the book, refers to "the portion of life free from disability or disease." [6] [7] Attia identifies the "Four Horsemen" of aging as the primary causes of declining healthspan—heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and type 2 diabetes. [6] Attia advocates for early screening, personalized health management, and lifestyle adjustments such as improved sleep, [8] regular exercise, a balanced diet, and emotional well-being. [6] He integrates scientific research with practical, specific steps to optimize well-being and healthspan. [9] [10]

Key themes

Preventative healthcare

Attia promotes a proactive approach to healthcare, focusing on prevention rather than reactionary treatment. This includes early screening and personalized health strategies. [11]

Diet and nutrition

He argues that many people are consuming too many calories without considering the nutritional quality of their meals, which contributes to poor health outcomes and shortened healthspan. [12]

Exercise

He emphasizes the importance of intense exercise for maintaining health and longevity. [13] He also stresses the significance of knowing and improving one's VO2 max, an indicator of cardiovascular fitness, to optimize healthspan. [13]

Modern healthcare critique

He is critical of healthcare in the United States's reactive approach to patient care, which often focuses on treating symptoms (Medicine 2.0). He would rather address the root causes of chronic illnesses (Medicine 3.0). [14] [15]

Reception and reviews

Outlive has been extensively reviewed from many different perspectives. [16] [17] Bobby Stroup praises the book for its accessible insights into improving healthspan and mitigating diseases like Type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions. Stroup notes its limitations for those with unique health needs or older individuals. He praises the book for its storytelling and practical approach to personal health. [18] Matthew Rees' review in the Wall Street Journal highlights the books focus on the need for proactive, prevention-focused healthcare practices to improve longevity through early screening, personalized nutrition, exercise, and emotional well-being. [19] Another reviewer praised the book's approach to proactive healthcare. [11] The Economist and Apple Books, among others, ranked it as one of the best books of 2023. [20] [21] [22]

Some have criticized his advice and perspectives. One review by a trauma surgeon critiques his interpretation of the Hippocratic oath, where he dismisses it as an excuse for inaction. The reviewer argues that his reliance on an Emergency Room anecdote overlooks the principle that "do no harm" doesn't mean "do nothing". Additionally, the reviewer argues that his recommendations for medications and screenings lack strong evidence, posing risks that outweigh potential benefits. [23]

Related Research Articles

Senescence or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. Whole organism senescence involves an increase in death rates or a decrease in fecundity with increasing age, at least in the later part of an organism's life cycle. However, the resulting effects of senescence can be delayed. The 1934 discovery that calorie restriction can extend lifespans by 50% in rats, the existence of species having negligible senescence, and the existence of potentially immortal organisms such as members of the genus Hydra have motivated research into delaying senescence and thus age-related diseases. Rare human mutations can cause accelerated aging diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life extension</span> Concept of extending human lifespan by improvements in medicine or biotechnology

Life extension is the concept of extending the human lifespan, either modestly through improvements in medicine or dramatically by increasing the maximum lifespan beyond its generally-settled biological limit of around 125 years. Several researchers in the area, along with "life extensionists", "immortalists", or "longevists", postulate that future breakthroughs in tissue rejuvenation, stem cells, regenerative medicine, molecular repair, gene therapy, pharmaceuticals, and organ replacement will eventually enable humans to have indefinite lifespans through complete rejuvenation to a healthy youthful condition (agerasia). The ethical ramifications, if life extension becomes a possibility, are debated by bioethicists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longevity</span> Longer than typical lifespan, especially of humans

Longevity may refer to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas life expectancy is defined statistically as the average number of years remaining at a given age. For example, a population's life expectancy at birth is the same as the average age at death for all people born in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preventive healthcare</span> Prevention of the occurrence of diseases

Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases. Disease and disability are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, disease agents, and lifestyle choices, and are dynamic processes that begin before individuals realize they are affected. Disease prevention relies on anticipatory actions that can be categorized as primal, primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personalized medicine</span> Medical model that tailors medical practices to the individual patient

Personalized medicine, also referred to as precision medicine, is a medical model that separates people into different groups—with medical decisions, practices, interventions and/or products being tailored to the individual patient based on their predicted response or risk of disease. The terms personalized medicine, precision medicine, stratified medicine and P4 medicine are used interchangeably to describe this concept, though some authors and organizations differentiate between these expressions based on particular nuances. P4 is short for "predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Giusti</span>

Kathy Giusti is a business leader, healthcare professional, and author. She is a two-time cancer survivor having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and breast cancer. Kathy Co-Founded the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation where she was CEO and president for nearly two decades. She also co-chaired the Harvard Business School (HBS) Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator, which she helped found, and was a Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School.

Alexandra Hospital (AH) is a district general hospital located in Queenstown, Singapore that provides acute and community care under the National University Health System.

Pharmacotherapy, also known as pharmacological therapy or drug therapy, is defined as medical treatment that utilizes one or more pharmaceutical drugs to improve ongoing symptoms, treat the underlying condition, or act as a prevention for other diseases (prophylaxis).

Workplace wellness, also known as corporate wellbeing outside the United States, is a broad term used to describe activities, programs, and/or organizational policies designed to support healthy behavior in the workplace. This often involves health education, medical screenings, weight management programs, and onsite fitness programs or facilities. It can also include flex-time for exercise, providing onsite kitchen and eating areas, offering healthy food options in vending machines, holding "walk and talk" meetings, and offering financial and other incentives for participation.

A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician, physician assistant, registered dietitian, veterinarian, veterinary technician, optometrist, pharmacist, pharmacy technician, medical assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, dentist, midwife, psychologist, audiologist, or healthcare scientist, or who perform services in allied health professions. Experts in public health and community health are also health professionals.

Multimorbidity, also known as multiple long-term conditions (MLTC), means living with two or more chronic illnesses. For example, a person could have diabetes, heart disease and depression at the same time. Multimorbidity can have a significant impact on people's health and wellbeing. It also poses a complex challenge to healthcare systems which are traditionally focused on individual diseases. Multiple long-term conditions can affect people of any age, but they are more common in older age, affecting more than half of people over 65 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lifestyle medicine</span> Aspects of medicine focused on food, exercise, and sleep

Lifestyle medicine (LM) is a branch of medicine focused on preventive healthcare and self-care dealing with prevention, research, education, and treatment of disorders caused by lifestyle factors and preventable causes of death such as nutrition, physical inactivity, chronic stress, and self-destructive behaviors including the consumption of tobacco products and drug or alcohol abuse. The goal of LM is to improve individuals' health and wellbeing by applying the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine (nutrition, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection) to prevent chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity.

Brandon Ross Colby is an American medical geneticist in Beverly Hills, California and physician specializing in predictive medicine and genetic testing. He is author of Outsmart Your Genes, a book about genetics published in 2011, and he is the founder and CEO of direct-to-consumer genetic testing service Sequencing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Hyman (doctor)</span> American physician and author (born 1959)

Mark Adam Hyman is an American physician and author. He is the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center. Hyman was a regular contributor to the Katie Couric Show until the show's cancellation in 2013. He writes a blog called The Doctor’s Farmacy, which examines many topics related to human health and welfare, and also offers a podcast by the same name. He is the author of several books on nutrition and longevity, including Food Fix, Eat Fat, Get Thin, and Young Forever.

Human Longevity, Inc. is a San Diego–based venture launched by Craig Venter, Robert Hariri and Peter Diamandis in 2013. Its goal is to build the world's most comprehensive database on human genotypes and phenotypes, and then subject it to machine learning so that it can help develop new ways to fight diseases associated with aging. The company received US$80 million in investments in its Series A offering in summer 2014 and announced a further $220 million Series B investment offering in April 2016. It has made deals with drug companies Celgene and AstraZeneca to collaborate in its research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Attia</span> Canadian-American author (born 1973)

Peter Attia is a Canadian-American author, physician, and researcher known for his work in longevity medicine. He is the author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.

Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a model that encourages mental health and substance use screenings as a routine preventive service in healthcare.

The taxonomy of the burden of treatment is a visualization created for health care professionals to better comprehend the obstacles that interfere with a patient's health care plan. It was created as a result of a worldwide, qualitative-based study that asked adults with chronic conditions to list the personal, environmental, and financial barriers that burden a patient. The purpose of this visualization is to help health care providers develop personalized management strategies that the patient can follow through a narrative paradigm. The goal is to target interventions, achieve an interpersonal doctor-patient relationship, and improve health outcomes.

This timeline lists notable events in the history of research into senescence or biological aging, including the research and development of life extension methods, brain aging delay methods and rejuvenation.

David Luu is a French pediatric cardiac surgeon, entrepreneur, and philanthropist known for his work in pediatric cardiac surgery and longevity medicine. He is the founder of Longevity Docs, Hearty, Juisci, and the founding chairman of The Heart Fund.

References

  1. ↑ Harris, John (2023-03-28). "The healthspan revolution: how to live a long, strong and happy life". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  2. ↑ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Aug. 20, 2023 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  3. ↑ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Feb. 25, 2024 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  4. ↑ Laing, Sarah (2024-01-13). "Peter Attia channelled existential panic into the non-fiction bestseller Outlive; Book that teaches readers to live longer took three tries and seven years to write". Globe & Mail (Toronto, Canada): R8.
  5. ↑ "Dr. Peter Attia sets foundation to live longer: People are suffering from 'poor emotional health' | Fox News Video". Fox News. 2024-03-10. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  6. 1 2 3 Hammond, Phil (2023-04-04). "Outlive by Peter Attia review — a cancer surgeon's guide to avoiding the 'Four Horsemen' of ageing". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  7. ↑ Allen, Mike (2023-08-03). "Axios Speed Read: Peter Attia's new book on living longer". Axios. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  8. ↑ "A Radiologist's Perspective on Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, MD". The Radiology Review. 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  9. ↑ Marchese, David (2023-05-22). "Want to Live Longer and Healthier? Peter Attia Has a Plan". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  10. ↑ Khullar, Dhruv (2024-04-15). "How to Die in Good Health". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  11. 1 2 "The DO Book Club: 'Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity'". The DO. 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  12. ↑ "The Links Between Longevity, Nutrition, Protein, and Calories". Advances in Skin & Wound Care. 37 (10): 510–511. 2024. doi:10.1097/ASW.0000000000000217. ISSN   1527-7941. PMID   39481055.
  13. 1 2 Heil, Nick (2024-08-08). "Is Hard Exercise the Formula for Longevity? Peter Attia Thinks So". Outside Online. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  14. ↑ Reiss, Sami (2023-03-29). "Why Mainstream Medicine Struggles to Prevent Chronic Disease—and What You Can Do About It". GQ. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  15. ↑ Chesak, Jennifer (2024-02-05). "Medicine 3.0: What It Is and Why You Need It". Hone Health. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  16. ↑ "Outlive asks readers to confront the ticking time bombs in their own bodies". The Globe and Mail. 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  17. ↑ Berry, Sarah (2023-04-23). "The secret to living longer is already known, and it's not expensive". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  18. ↑ "Outlive by Peter Attia: A Book Review - Petrie-Flom Center". petrieflom.law.harvard.edu. 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  19. ↑ Rees, Matthew (2023-03-29). "'Outlive' Review: Heaven Can Wait". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  20. ↑ "The best books of 2023, as chosen by The Economist". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  21. ↑ "Apple unveils the top books of 2023 and a new Year in Review experience". Apple Newsroom (United Kingdom). Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  22. ↑ "The year's top 20 books as chosen by the newsroom team". Australian Financial Review. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  23. ↑ Butler, Kathryn (2023-08-14). "Can Preventative Medicine Become the Fountain of Youth?". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
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