People I (Mostly) Admire 8. Peter Attia: “I Definitely Lost a Lot of IQ Points That Day”
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Feb 21, 2026 
Peter Attia, a physician known for longevity research and self-experimentation. He talks about nutrition, fasting, and ketosis. He explores sleep’s role in health and nicotine’s surprising effects. He critiques COVID response and describes designing rapid immunity studies. He reflects on career pivots and the limits of chasing immortality.
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Cut Added Sugar, Especially Liquid Fructose
- Avoid added sugars, especially liquid fructose, and prefer whole fruits over sugary processed foods.
- Read labels and choose products with no added sugar like bread or pasta sauce made from plain tomatoes.
Ketosis As An Evolutionary Survival Tool
- Ketosis evolved to spare muscle by turning fat into ketones that fuel brain and organs during famine.
- Peter Attia practiced prolonged nutritional ketosis for years and now uses repeated fasts to trigger starvation ketosis and benefits like autophagy.
Fasting Triggers Cellular Cleanup
- Fasting induces autophagy, recycling defective cells and reducing cancer and neurodegeneration risk.
- Fasting also suppresses harmful senescent-cell signals that accelerate aging.