Huberman Lab

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

Sep 11, 2023

Dr. Peter Attia, Stanford and Johns Hopkins-trained physician, joins the podcast for a journal club episode. They discuss the potential longevity benefits of metformin and the power of belief effects on drug impact. The conversation also explores how to interpret scientific studies and the limitations of epidemiology. This episode is a must-listen for those interested in health, longevity, and understanding scientific findings.

02:18:52

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Episode guests

Peter Attia

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Quick takeaways

Metformin's potential role as an anti-aging drug is still uncertain due to conflicting study results and confounding factors.

Critically analyzing scientific research through journal clubs helps verify and evaluate claims made in scientific papers.

The impact of metformin on mortality rates in individuals with type 2 diabetes is influenced by various factors, making it challenging to determine its precise effects.

Interpreting epidemiological research requires careful consideration of confounding variables and biases to establish causal relationships and draw accurate conclusions.

Belief effects can significantly influence the cognitive and physiological responses to drugs, highlighting the importance of understanding the role of beliefs in treatment efficacy.

Deep dives

Metformin and its potential role in longevity

This podcast episode discusses the potential benefits of metformin, a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, in terms of lifespan and longevity. The episode references a previous study by banister that found a 15% reduction in all-cause mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes who took metformin. The study was limited by informative censoring and differences in medication usage between groups. A new study by keys and colleagues aimed to replicate and expand on these findings. They used a larger sample size and included a twin group to account for genetics and shared environment. The results showed that individuals with type 2 diabetes who took metformin had a higher crude mortality rate compared to those without diabetes. However, the study's limitations and confounding factors make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions on metformin's role in longevity. The episode highlights the ongoing TAME trial, which aims to further investigate metformin's potential as an anti-aging drug.

Insulin and the Movement of Glucose into Cells

00:45

The Importance of Estrogen in Men and Women

01:36

Is there any longevity benefit to short periods of caloric restriction?

00:49

BELIEFS CAN EFFECT YOUR HEALTH

01:12

Introduction

2min

Placebo Effect and Dose Response

7min

Dreaming of a Special Drink

5min

Metformin Mechanism of Action

22min

Exploring the Potential Benefits of Metformin and Personal Experience with AG1

2min

Metformin, Neurons, and On-Demand Protein Complexes

3min

The Impact of Redoing the Banister Analysis

21min

Exploring the Limitations of Epidemiology and the Importance of Understanding Blind Spots

2min

Understanding Hazard Ratios and Findings of a Study on Metformin

10min

10.

Metformin and Longevity Study

21min

11.

Approaches to reading academic papers

6min

12.

Belief Effects on Drug Impact

25min

13.

The Influence of Belief on Drug Dosage Response

15min

14.

Enjoying the discussion, encouraging support, and expressing gratitude

3min

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.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab

Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman

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

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Huberman Lab

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

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Metformin and its potential role in longevity

The importance of scientific journal clubs

Results of the metformin study and the role of confounding factors

The complexities of interpreting epidemiological studies

Belief Effects on Drug Response

Nicotine's Effects on Brain Circuits

Belief vs. Placebo Effects

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study

Effect of Belief on Brain Activation in Response to Nicotine

Implications of Belief Effects on Drug Efficacy

Insulin and the Movement of Glucose into Cells

The Importance of Estrogen in Men and Women

Is there any longevity benefit to short periods of caloric restriction?

BELIEFS CAN EFFECT YOUR HEALTH

Timestamps

Get the Snipd
podcast app

AI-powered
podcast player

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highlights

Save any
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Huberman Lab

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

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Metformin and its potential role in longevity

The importance of scientific journal clubs

Results of the metformin study and the role of confounding factors

The complexities of interpreting epidemiological studies

Belief Effects on Drug Response

Nicotine's Effects on Brain Circuits

Belief vs. Placebo Effects

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study

Effect of Belief on Brain Activation in Response to Nicotine

Implications of Belief Effects on Drug Efficacy

Insulin and the Movement of Glucose into Cells

The Importance of Estrogen in Men and Women

Is there any longevity benefit to short periods of caloric restriction?

BELIEFS CAN EFFECT YOUR HEALTH

Timestamps

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Discoverhighlights

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