Journal Club With Dr. Peter Attia | Metformin for Longevity & the Power of Belief Effects

In this journal club episode, my guest is Stanford and Johns Hopkins-trained physician, Dr. Peter Attia, M.D., who is also the host of The Drive podcast and the author of the bestselling book "Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity."

We each present a scientific paper and discuss the findings' strengths, weaknesses and actionable takeaways.

First, we discuss an article that addresses whether taking the drug metformin can enhance longevity. Then, we discuss an article on belief effects (similar to placebo effects), showing how the effects of a drug on the brain and cognition depend on one's belief about the dose of the drug taken, not the actual dose.

Our conversation also highlights how to read, interpret and critique scientific studies. This episode ought to be of interest to those curious about health and longevity, medicine and psychology and for anyone seeking to better understand how to read and digest scientific findings.

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

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.

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Timestamps

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

(00:03:43) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:06:11) Dreams

(00:12:36) Article #1, Metformin, Mitochondria, Blood Glucose

(00:19:47) Type 2 Diabetes & Causes, Insulin Resistance

(00:25:30) Type 2 Diabetes Medications, Metformin, Geroprotection, Bannister Study

(00:36:37) Sponsor: AG1

(00:37:15) TAME Trial; Demographics, Twin Cohort

(00:44:27) Metformin & Mortality Rate

(00:51:28) Kaplan-Meier Mortality Curve, Error Bars & Significance, Statistical Power

(01:02:23) Hazard Ratios, Censoring

(01:09:00) Metformin Advantage?, Variables, Interventions Testing Program

(01:16:02) Berberine, Acarbose, SGLT2 Inhibitors

(01:23:48) Blood Glucose & Energy Balance; Caloric Restriction, Aging Biomarkers

(01:32:22) Tool: Reading Journal Articles, 4 Questions, Supplemental Information

(01:38:10) Article #2, Belief Effects vs. Placebo Effect

(01:45:22) Nicotine Effects

(01:51:07) Nicotine Doses & Belief Effects, fMRI Scan

(02:00:07) Biological Effects, Dose-Dependent Response & Belief Effects

(02:05:14) Biology & Beliefs, Significance, Dopamine Response, Non-Smokers

(02:10:57) Dose-Dependence & Beliefs, Side Effects, Nocebo Effect

(02:19:06) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

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