Longevity experts worth knowing

Founder, Early Medical; author of Outlive (2023); host, The Peter Attia Drive. Stanford MD, Johns Hopkins surgical residency, NCI research fellow.

"Medicine 3.0" — train now for a Centenarian Decathlon against the four chronic-disease killers, instead of waiting to treat disease after it appears.

1. Train all four pillars: stability, strength, Zone 2 aerobic base, and Zone 5 (VO2 max) work.
2. Do regular Zone 2 cardio — sustained output kept under roughly 2 mmol/L blood lactate.
3. Track VO2 max directly; cites moving out of the bottom quartile as linked to ~70% lower all-cause mortality risk.
4. Prioritize resistance training to protect muscle mass and bone density decades ahead.
5. Push protein intake above standard RDA levels (exact target varies by his own account — verify before citing a number).
6. Manage apoB / LDL particle number aggressively, not just total cholesterol.
7. Discusses rapamycin and metformin as longevity levers, but stops short of blanket-endorsing either.

Tenured professor, Neurobiology & Ophthalmology, Stanford School of Medicine; host, Huberman Lab podcast.

Turns neuroscience into specific daily protocols — light, temperature, breath, supplements — for sleep, focus and stress resilience.

1. Get 10–15 minutes of outdoor light within the first hour of waking, no sunglasses, to anchor circadian rhythm.
2. Delay caffeine 90–120 minutes after waking to work with cortisol/adenosine dynamics.
3. Use NSDR (non-sleep deep rest), ~10–20 minutes, to recover alertness after poor sleep.
4. Combine cold exposure (1–3 min) and sauna a few times weekly for resilience and recovery.
5. Split weekly training: ~3 resistance + 3 cardio sessions (one long Zone 2, one moderate, one HIIT).
6. Personal stack (his own, not universal): magnesium L-threonate, vitamin D3, EPA omega-3, creatine, apigenin + L-theanine before bed.
7. Keep the bedroom dark, cool and device-free; avoid bright light in the evening.

Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School; co-director, Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research. Born and raised in Sydney; dual AU/US citizen. Author of Lifespan (2019).

Leading academic voice for "aging as a treatable disease," centered on sirtuins, NAD+ decline and an epigenetic theory of aging — popularized NMN and resveratrol.

1. NMN, reportedly ~1 g/day, to raise NAD+ levels.
2. Resveratrol, reportedly ~1 g/day, taken with a fat source for absorption.
3. Metformin, reportedly ~800 mg/day (evening) — off-label and scientifically contested.
4. Vitamin D3 (reportedly 4,000–5,000 IU) and K2 (reportedly 180–360 mcg).
5. Low-dose aspirin, reportedly ~81 mg/day.
6. Spermidine, quercetin and fisetin as senolytic/autophagy-supporting compounds.
7. Intermittent fasting, minimal sugar and red meat, and regular exercise as general lifestyle notes.

PhD, biomedical science (mitochondrial metabolism/cancer, St. Jude); postdoc under Bruce Ames (micronutrients, inflammation). Founder, FoundMyFitness.

A research-literature translator rather than a clinician — sources primary papers closely, and is explicit that her routine is personal, not a prescription.

1. Regular sauna use, citing Finnish cohort studies linking frequency to lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
2. Creatine monohydrate, ~5 g on light days up to ~10 g/day, higher during travel or sleep loss.
3. Sulforaphane / broccoli-sprout extract for Nrf2 pathway activation.
4. Omega-3 fish oil, ~1 g with breakfast and again in the evening.
5. Vitamin D3 (~2,000 IU) with K2 in the evening; magnesium glycinate (~125 mg) for sleep.
6. Melatonin, ~3 mg, in the evening.

Professor of Gerontology, USC Leonard Davis School; Director, USC Longevity Institute. Author of The Longevity Diet (2018); co-founder, L-Nutra (ProLon).

Leading researcher on fasting-mimicking diets and their effects on regeneration and metabolic health, advocating a largely plant-based, moderate-protein diet.

1. Largely vegan diet plus fish 2–3×/week (salmon, anchovies, sardines, cod, shellfish).
2. Moderate protein under 65: ~0.31–0.36 g per lb bodyweight/day; increase somewhat after 65 to counter muscle loss.
3. Get protein mainly from legumes rather than red meat; ~3 tbsp olive oil and ~1 oz nuts daily.
4. Confine eating to a ~12-hour window; avoid food in the 3–4 hours before bed.
5. Periodic 5-day Fasting Mimicking Diet cycles (low-calorie, plant-based, mimics water fasting).
6. Minimize sugar and saturated fat; maximize whole grains and vegetables.

Professor of Neuroscience & Psychology, UC Berkeley; director, Center for Human Sleep Science. Author of Why We Sleep (2017).

The most credentialed public voice specifically on sleep — treats sleep as the foundational, most under-rated pillar of long-term health.

1. Keep a consistent sleep/wake schedule, seven days a week — his single highest-priority tip.
2. Exercise 30+ minutes most days, but not within 2–3 hours of bedtime.
3. Cut caffeine and nicotine in the afternoon/evening (caffeine's ~5–6 hr half-life).
4. Avoid alcohol before bed — it fragments sleep and suppresses REM even as it eases falling asleep.
5. Get 30+ minutes of morning sunlight; avoid bright/blue light in the evening.
6. Keep the bedroom cool (~65°F), dark and gadget-free; a hot shower before bed helps trigger sleepiness.
7. Aim for 7–9 hours nightly, adjusted for individual need.

Founder, Braintree (acquired Venmo, sold to PayPal for $800M). Runs "Project Blueprint" — a self-funded, self-experimentation anti-aging regimen — since 2021. Not a physician or scientist.

The most extreme, best-resourced public self-experiment in rejuvenation, with diet, sleep and biomarkers algorithmically tracked toward an explicit goal to "not die."

1. Strict sleep schedule: bedtime ~8:30pm, wake ~5am; screens off 60 min before bed; room at about 64–70°F.
2. Time-restricted eating, stopping around noon each day; ~2,250 kcal/day with ~10% caloric restriction.
3. Signature "Super Veggie" meal: black lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, hemp seeds.
4. ~6 hours/week exercise: 3 strength + 3 cardio sessions, plus mobility work.
5. Daily dry sauna (~200°F) for 20 minutes, plus red/near-infrared light therapy.
6. Large supplement/drug stack: creatine (~5–7.5 g), EPA/DHA, collagen peptides, plus repurposed prescription drugs — metformin (cycled), acarbose, and a PCSK9 inhibitor (Repatha) for cholesterol — physician-supervised and disclosed publicly, not general recommendations.
7. Extensive monitoring: quarterly bloodwork, annual full-body MRI, continuous glucose monitoring.

CMO & co-founder, Function Health; senior adviser, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine (founder). Author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? and others.

Popularized "functional medicine" — root-cause, systems-based diagnosis with heavy emphasis on nutrition and personalized lab testing.

1. Minimize sugar and refined carbohydrates first, above all else.
2. Fill more than half the plate with colorful, non-starchy vegetables at every meal.
3. Favor healthy fats — omega-3s, olive oil, avocado, fatty fish — over industrial seed oils.
4. Treat meat as a "condiment" (4–6 oz portions), not the center of the plate.
5. Minimize dairy and gluten for most people; choose gluten-free whole grains in modest portions.
6. Use extensive personal biomarker testing (100+ markers) to individualize nutrition, rather than one-size-fits-all rules.

National Geographic Fellow; coined "Blue Zones" after a 2004–05 NatGeo research collaboration. Author of the Blue Zones book series. Not a physician or scientist.

Popularized the idea that longevity comes mostly from lifestyle and environment — diet, movement, purpose, social structure — distilled into nine "Power" principles.

1. Move naturally — build low-intensity activity (gardening, walking, housework) into daily life.
2. Keep a clear sense of purpose ("ikigai" in Okinawa).
3. Downshift daily to manage stress — prayer, napping, social time.
4. "Hara Hachi Bu" — stop eating at about 80% fullness.
5. "Plant Slant" — build meals around beans and plants; meat only a few times a month.
6. Belong to a faith-based or other regular community.
7. Maintain a social circle that reinforces healthy habits.

Board-certified osteopathic physician; founder, "Muscle-Centric Medicine®"; author of Forever Strong (2023).

Reframes skeletal muscle, not fat tissue, as the central organ of long-term metabolic health — "under-muscled" as the more overlooked driver of decline.

1. Distribute protein evenly across the day — a commonly cited target of ~30 g per meal.
2. Prioritize resistance training as the primary form of exercise for healthspan, not just cardio.
3. Treat skeletal muscle as an endocrine organ central to metabolic health, not an aesthetic concern.
4. Especially protect protein intake and resistance training during weight loss, to avoid losing muscle with fat.
5. Favor protein-forward breakfasts over carbohydrate-heavy ones.