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A review by emmaliborski
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
This is a well-researched book with a unifying approach: developing tools that lengthen both our lifespan and our healthspan. Attia's arguments about the shortcomings of Medicine 2.0 (the system that focuses on prescribing medication over holistic health and prevention) are compelling. Anyone can benefit from looking at health in a different way, by prioritizing exercise, diet, and sleep over everything else and knowing that the benefits will multiply in time.
Even though the entire last chapter is about Attia's emotional and mental health journey, he doesn't integrate that lens into the rest of his recommendations. For example, he matter-of-factly dives into research supporting the idea that eating less than your body signals you to eat at all times will add years to your healthspan. That may be true, but for many people, focusing on eating less constantly is more a detriment to their overall health than anything. I got the impression throughout the book that Attia is an obsessive perfectionist. He explicitly reflects on this in the final chapter, but that neuroticism permeates the whole book. It's an attitude that might resonate with others, but I personally find it off-putting and counterproductive.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, reflecting on my choices, and making connections between elements of human health that I didn't think were related (for example- metabolic health seems to linked to every major life-threatening disease and is deeply affected by our everyday choices). The chapters on cancer, dementia, heart disease, and diabetes toward the beginning of the book were incredibly informative. I closed this book feeling more in control of my own health and curious about the topics Attia discussed.
Even though the entire last chapter is about Attia's emotional and mental health journey, he doesn't integrate that lens into the rest of his recommendations. For example, he matter-of-factly dives into research supporting the idea that eating less than your body signals you to eat at all times will add years to your healthspan. That may be true, but for many people, focusing on eating less constantly is more a detriment to their overall health than anything. I got the impression throughout the book that Attia is an obsessive perfectionist. He explicitly reflects on this in the final chapter, but that neuroticism permeates the whole book. It's an attitude that might resonate with others, but I personally find it off-putting and counterproductive.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, reflecting on my choices, and making connections between elements of human health that I didn't think were related (for example- metabolic health seems to linked to every major life-threatening disease and is deeply affected by our everyday choices). The chapters on cancer, dementia, heart disease, and diabetes toward the beginning of the book were incredibly informative. I closed this book feeling more in control of my own health and curious about the topics Attia discussed.