Outlive

The Science and Art of Longevity

By: Peter Attia MD, Bill Gifford - contributor

Narrated by: Peter Attia MD

Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A groundbreaking manifesto on living better and longer that challenges the conventional medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health, from a visionary physician and leading longevity expert

“One of the most important books you’ll ever read.”—Steven D. Levitt, New York Times bestselling author of Freakonomics

Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.

For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late to help, prolonging lifespan at the expense of healthspan, or quality of life. Dr. Attia believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we take action now, rather than waiting.

This is not “biohacking,” it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual. In Outlive, listeners will discover:

• Why the cholesterol test at your annual physical doesn’t tell you enough about your actual risk of dying from a heart attack.
• That you may already suffer from an extremely common yet underdiagnosed liver condition that could be a precursor to the chronic diseases of aging.
• Why exercise is the most potent pro-longevity “drug”—and how to begin training for the “Centenarian Decathlon.”
• Why you should forget about diets, and focus instead on nutritional biochemistry, using technology and data to personalize your eating pattern.
• Why striving for physical health and longevity, but ignoring emotional health, could be the ultimate curse of all.

Aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think; our fate is not set in stone. With the right roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of charts, graphs, and illustrations from the book, along with other valuable resources

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Peter Attia and Bill Gifford (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Outlive completely transformed my approach to growing old. Peter Attia is among the most brilliant people I’ve ever met, and he’s succeeded in packing a life’s worth of insights into this book. It promises to be one of the most important books you’ll ever read.”—Steven D. Levitt, New York Times bestselling author of Freakonomics

“In Outlive, Peter Attia explores the science of not just prolonging life, but also prolonging aliveness. Attia makes the crucial connection between overall health and relational health.”—Esther Perel, New York Times bestselling author, psychotherapist, and podcast host of Where Should We Begin?

“Finally, there is a modern, thorough, clear, and actionable manual for how to maximize our immediate and long-term health. Firmly grounded in data and real-life conditions, Outlive makes obvious which actions we all need to take, and just as important, what all we need to pay attention to in order to live a long, vital life. As the most accurate and comprehensive health guide published to date, Outlive is not just informative, it is important.”—Andrew Huberman, PhD, professor, Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, creator of the Huberman Lab podcast

Good insights to maximize healthspan

I enjoyed this book and while I was aware of a lot of the information, Attia pulls it together in a well-organized and balanced ways that's easy to understand. Instead of treating patients when they're sick or broken, why not keep them healthier longer? I already was aware of a lot of the general information but this is a good synthesis, and Attia has a missionary zeal to help more people live better longer.

I have two minor negative comments. First, Attia's a high achiever, which is great, and also a relentless name dropper. Got a little distracting. Second, I didn't expect it to be so much of a personal memoir. I'm glad he got some help for his own mental health, but I was less interested in how his workaholic over achieving temperament turned him into a raging jerk and landed him in residential treatment. I had listened to a podcast with Freakonomics author Steven Levitt and that included most of the relevant information, with less of the personal mea culpa from Attia.

In summary, great data about nutrition, exercise and sleep, but unless you have a personal interest in his residential treatment, you can skip the chapter at the end about his emotional turmoil.

Two best versions of Peter

I'm an avid listener of Audible but seldom write reviews, this one will be my first one, but I really felt compelled to write it as I was so grateful after reading it. I was initially quite unimpressed during the beginning of the book, which deployed several tactics already discussed elsewhere and in Peter's podcasts . In the beginning of the book found the chapter on stability the most useful. The first part of the book is " Peter-mind-of-steel", the sharp, decisive, clear, assertive Peter. Nothing very new, though. The second part, as I would call, is "Peter-heart-of-gold", where Peter exposes himself with a courage I never saw in other authors in the same genre. This second part is the jewel of the book, inspires and touches as Peter show immense courage to share his stories , his challenges, his deepest shadows and wounds, and his insights. And it shines light on the first part as well. I found the epilogue brilliant, bringing unity to the whole book, and the acknowledgement session is the best I have ever read. Being myself also a medical doctor , a seeker of the truth , a perfectionist, struggling with my inner critic, I found immense value on the insights of this book. Hope this review inspires you to read the book and that my comments don't have any spoilers .

Most books suck. Not this one.

Dr Attia makes the complex understandable. I’m so glad he read the audio version rather than a random voice. Now that I’ve listened to it, it’s time to study it, and take action.

EXCELLENT!

I could not wait for this book to release and was not disappointed. Dr. Attia covers everything eloquently without being so complex that you can not follow him. The entire book has a systematic delivery and flow that contributes to the overall objective of improving your health. His own journey at the end puts a realistic and human perspective; many have a sterile do this or that feel. This book builds it very relatable bridge, at least for me, to so many things I see in myself. It was intellectual but very human, probably the best I've read. He is gracious for writing and sharing his story.

Nobel Prize winning stuff here

As a physician, father and athlete, I have the goal of being strong for my patients, children and my 100 year old future self. Thanks Peter. You distilled the knowledge required for my goal in your book.

Absolutely loved this book

I learned so much about how our bodies work. It’s eye-opening to realize how little I know about my own biology. Peter Attia explains it clearly and in a way that an average person like me understands it.

WELL ROUNDED READ

This book is educational, entertaining, and motivating. It's definitely on the top of my favorite reads list. It was mentioned in another one of my favorite books, The Choice, and I am so glad I checked it out.

required life reading

One of the most important books you will ever read, well worth it even if you have been following Peter for a long time, great summarization of all his work. and so glad he read it himself! thank you

Amazing Book

I have been waiting for this book! Well worth the wait! It’s a must read if you are interested in living and aging well! Thank you Dr. Attia!

very good

some of this book gets a bit too technical for the lay person, but the overall message included is very helpful.