In our practice, we organize longevity tactics into five domains — one of which I call ‘exogenous molecules,’ a fancy way of talking about medications, supplements, hormones, or any other formulated molecule you put into your body. Although powerful, this tactic can be challenging to discuss as it is highly individual. So instead of telling you to “take X” or “never take Y,” I find it more beneficial to approach this tactic with a 3-part framework:
(1) What is the objective? The more clearly you can define your objective, the more clearly you can assess if this is the right tool for accomplishing that objective
(2) Is there a biomarker? How do you plan to customize, track, and adjust your treatment over time? If there is no biomarker to monitor as a measure of effectiveness, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the supplement or medication; it just means you may need to be more intentional around monitoring results in other ways.
(3) Does the risk outweigh the reward? Everyone has a different tolerance for risk. Some questions to consider when weighing risk vs. reward: What is the mechanism of action? How many patient years of use exist? What are the short-term and long-term risks of taking the medication? What are the risks of not taking the medication?
Below is a collection of past content discussing some common supplements, medications, and other treatments.
“It’s so fascinating to me frankly that one molecule found in nature can be so potent. It’s hard to imagine you could engineer a drug to do this.” —Peter Attia
“Knowing that their loved one’s organs live on in another individual and saved their life is the only good thing about what was otherwise the worst day of their lives … I think it’s important for people to hear that it can be a transformative gift.” — Chris Sonnenday
“Public health has been the stepchild of health and welfare and healing. That is inverted now, and people appreciate it, but are we going to actually deliver on it? Not just next year, and not just put more funding in it, but really do it over a period of time?” —Bill Frist
“I don’t really care what causes aging. What I care about is: What is the process that can postpone all the different aspects of aging?” — Rich Miller
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“All of the work that went into this analysis earlier in the year, it really changed my tune. And I think I’m now at the point where I kind of want to have a sauna, frankly, in the tool kit for longevity.” — Peter Attia
“I reserve metformin prescriptions for patients who obviously are in need of it from the standpoint of glucose and insulin regulation, but I don’t view it really as a pro longevity agent yet.” — Peter Attia
“I don’t think [omega-6] is the evil that people think it is. The problem is that we need to get more EPA and DHA in our diet, not necessarily get all hung up on omega-6.” — Bill Harris
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Criticism and skepticism can be far more useful than praise and unflinching belief.
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