Watch the full episode and view show notes here: https://bit.ly/47VnNbz Become a member to receive exclusive content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ This special episode is a rebroadcast of AMA #30, now made available to everyone, in which Peter and Bob Kaplan dive deep into all things related to studying studies to help one sift through the noise to find the signal. They define various types of studies, how a study progresses from idea to execution, and how to identify study strengths and limitations. They explain how clinical trials work, as well as biases and common pitfalls to watch out for. They dig into key factors that contribute to the rigor (or lack thereof) of an experiment, and they discuss how to measure effect size, differentiate relative risk from absolute risk, and what it really means when a study is statistically significant. Finally, Peter lays out his personal process when reading through scientific papers. We discuss: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:00:18 - The ever-changing landscape of scientific literature 0:03:19 - The process for a study to progress from idea to design to execution 0:06:39 - Various types of studies and how they differ 0:19:14 - The different phases of clinical trials 0:28:32 - Observational studies and the potential for bias 0:49:27 - Experimental studies: randomization, blinding, and other factors that make or break a study 1:03:49 - Power, p-values, and statistical significance 1:16:21 - Measuring effect size: relative risk vs. absolute risk, hazard ratios, and “number needed to treat” 1:26:39 - How to interpret confidence intervals 1:34:15 - Why a study might be stopped before its completion 1:43:01 - Why only a fraction of studies are ever published and how to combat publication bias 1:53:45 - Why certain journals are more respected than others 1:57:54 - Peter’s process when reading a scientific paper -------- 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/