Journal Club with Dr. Peter Attia | Effects of Light & Dark on Mental Health & Treatments for Cancer

In this journal club episode, my guest is Dr. Peter Attia, M.D., a Stanford and Johns Hopkins-trained physician focusing on healthspan and lifespan and the host of The Drive podcast.

We each present a peer-reviewed scientific paper chosen because it contains novel, interesting, and actionable data. First, we discuss a paper on how bright light exposure at sunrise and throughout the day and dark exposure at night independently improve mental health and can offset some of the major symptoms of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Then, we discuss an article that explores a novel class of immunotherapy treatments to combat cancer. We also discuss some of the new data on low-calorie sweeteners and if they are safe. This episode should be of interest to listeners curious about maximizing their vitality and longevity and to anyone seeking science-supported ways to improve mental health and lifespan.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Dr. Peter Attia, Journal Club

(00:02:40) Sponsors: Eight Sleep, BetterHelp & Joovv

(00:07:14) Light, Dark & Mental Health; Retina

(00:11:16) Outdoor vs. Indoor Light, Cataracts, Sunglasses

(00:16:17) Tools: Sunrise & Sunsets, Circadian Rhythm; Midday Light

(00:24:55) Tools: Night & Light Exposure; Waking Before Sunrise

(00:31:05) Article #1, Light/Dark Exposure & Mental Health

(00:36:50) Sponsor: AG1

(00:38:18) Odds Ratio, Hazard Ratio

(00:45:43) Night vs. Daylight Exposure, Mental Health Disorders

(00:51:35) Major Depression & Light Exposure; Error Bars & Significance

(00:59:15) Sponsor: LMNT

(01:00:39) Prescriptions; Environmental & Artificial Light; Red Lights

(01:08:14) Nighttime Light Exposure; Sleep Trackers & Belief Effects

(01:13:54) Light Directionality, Phone, Night

(01:17:21) Light Wavelengths & Sensors; Sunglasses

(01:20:58) Hawthorne Effect, Reverse Causality, Genetics

(01:26:26) Artificial Sweeteners, Appetite

(01:31:16) Natural Light Cycles, Circadian Rhythm & Mental Health

(01:39:53) Article #2, Immune System & Cancer

(01:43:18) T-Cell Activation; Viruses

(01:50:41) Autoimmunity; Cancer & Immune System Evasion

(02:00:09) Checkpoint Inhibitors, CTLA-4

(02:06:45) Anti-CTLA-4 Study Drug (Ipilimumab), Melanoma

(02:12:07) Patient Population, Randomization, GP100

(02:18:09) Response Rate

(02:22:52) Overall Survival & Response

(02:28:38) Median Survival vs. Overall Survival, Drug Development

(02:35:45) Gender & Dose

(02:40:32) Adverse Events; Autoimmunity

(02:46:42) Pancreatic Cancer; Aging & Immune System Health

(02:53:57) Melanoma; Lynch Syndrome, Keytruda

(02:58:43) Immunotherapy & Cancer Treatment; Melanoma Risk

(03:06:26) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

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