Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/4c602k2 Become a member to receive exclusive content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Andrew Huberman, Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford University and host of the Huberman Lab podcast, joins us in a special journal club episode. Peter and Andrew each present a recent paper that sparked their interests, delving into the findings, dissecting their significance, discussing potential confounders and limitations, and exploring remaining questions. Importantly, they share their methodologies for comprehending research studies, providing valuable insights for listeners to navigate this process independently. Peter presents an epidemiological study reevaluating a noteworthy metformin result that intrigued the anti-aging community, leading to discussions on metformin's geroprotective potential (or lack thereof) and the current lack of aging biomarkers. Andrew introduces a paper examining how our beliefs about the medications we take influence their biological effects, distinguishing the "belief effect" from a placebo effect and highlighting its exciting implications for the future. We discuss: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:00:10 - The motivation behind this journal club conversation 0:06:33 - Why Peter chose a paper on metformin, how metformin works, and why it generated excitement as a longevity-enhancing agent 0:13:45 - Defining insulin resistance and its underlying causes 0:19:28 - Metformin as a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes, and Peter’s evolving interest in metformin as a geroprotective drug 0:22:20 - Defining the term “geroprotection” 0:23:31 - The 2014 study that got the anti-aging community interested in metformin 0:30:43 - Peter presents the 2022 paper that repeats the analytical approach from the 2014 Bannister study 0:37:30 - Greater mortality in the metformin group: how results differed between the 2022 paper and the 2014 paper 0:49:20 - Understanding statistical significance, statistical power, sample size, and why epidemiology uses enormous cohorts 0:54:18 - Interpreting the hazard ratios from the 2022 metformin study, and the notable takeaways from the study 1:06:10 - Drugs that may extend lifespan, why Peter stopped taking metformin, and a discussion of caloric restriction 1:18:29 - Current thoughts on the use of metformin for longevity 1:20:05 - Could there be any longevity benefit to short periods of caloric restriction? 1:23:53 - Peter and Andrew’s process for reading scientific papers 1:30:05 - The biological effects of belief, and how “belief effects” differ from placebo effects 1:37:19 - The neurobiology of nicotine: a precursor conversation before delving into the paper Andrew chose 1:43:00 - Andrew presents a paper that demonstrates the impact of belief 1:52:02 - Analyzing the fascinating results of the Perl paper 2:00:45 - Exciting implications of the findings about “belief effects” -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, and all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 70 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their healthspan. Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. No doctor-patient relationship is formed. The use of this information and the materials linked to this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content on this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they have, and they should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. I take conflicts of interest very seriously. For all of my disclosures and the companies I invest in or advise, please visit my website where I keep an up-to-date and active list of such companies. For a full list of our registered and unregistered trademarks, trade names, and service marks, please review our Terms of Use: https://peterattiamd.com/terms-of-use/