Peter Attia’s Supplement List for Longevity Is Shockingly Reasonable
- By Rebekah Harding
- and Will Price
- Fact-checked by Joy Ferguson
- March 25, 2024
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any longevity-focused doctors, influencers, and diet hawkers have spoken at great length about the supplements they take to support richer, longer lifespans. While neuroscientist Andrew Huberman and billionaire-vampire Bryan Johnson take supplement stacks with dozens of different pills and powders, Dr. Peter Attia’s personal stack clocks in around 13 supplements backed by years of research.
Author of Outlive and host of The Drive podcast, Attia is a longevity, lifespan, and healthspan truthsayer. Like the advice and guidance he gives, the supplements he takes are measured and intentional. From the four (yes, four) protein powders in his pantry to the many forms of magnesium he swallows, here’s what Peter Attia’s supplement shopping list looks like.
Omega-3 Fish Oil
Attia’s supplement stack has changed over the years, but Omega-3 fish oil has always held its place. If you’ve looked into Omega-3s, this shouldn’t be surprising. While they may not do as much for heart health as experts once thought, they may reduce inflammationt, lower cortisol, and boost glutathione production. No wonder they’re seen as critical by longevity experts (including one Andrew Huberman).
You can get enough Omega-3s through your diet if you lean heavy into fish, nuts, seeds, and some leafy greens. But supplements make it easy.
Attia’s picks
Nordic Naturals Omega-3s
Athletic Greens / AG1
Like fellow longevity expert Andrew Huberman, Attia loves him some AG1. AG1, or Athletic Greens, is a greens powder with a metric boatload of vitamins, minerals, and healthful goodies packed into it. In our review, we found that the taste was good enough and the 75-item nutrient list blew its competition out of the water. Billed starting at $79 monthly, we also noted how expensive it is.
Attia acknowledges this as well in AMA #36 of his podcast, in which he confirms that he’s a scientific adviser and investor to AG1. He says he can speak to the quality of the product because he’s seen “how the sausage is made,” and takes a scoop of AG1 every day regardless of what he’s eating.
“I’m getting exactly what I need—probably a little bit more than what I need,” he said.
Vitamin D
As discussed on The Joe Rogan Experience, Attia recommends Vitamin D to people whose levels are below optimum—a blood test will determine how much you might or might not need.
Vitamin D helps the body suck in phosphorus and calcium, nutrients that are vital for long-term bone health, according to Harvard University. Vitamin D also supports muscular strength and can act as an anti-inflammatory (1)—it may even play a role in regulating and boosting your mood and energy levels, and may support testosterone production. Not too shabby.
Attia recommends getting your blood level in the ballpark of 40-60 ng/mL of Vitamin D daily, depending on your diet and background. That’s about 400-600 mcg. This number is right on par with the Endocrine Society’s recommendation.
Protein Powder
Attia aims to hit the upper end of the protein recommendations for active individuals (1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight per day) at 2.2g/kg or 1g/pound of protein per day. To do it, he downs a daily protein shake to hit his protein needs in between calls. He’s constantly cycling through protein powders but in a recent Instagram post he says he mainly looks for five specific things:
- High-quality whey protein isolate
- No proprietary blends
- Good taste (not too sweet or chemical)
- Easy to make (no blender necessary)
- Has at least 25 grams of protein (but sometimes he pushes it to 40 to 50 grams)
His current three favorites are Muscle Egg, Ascent, and Chike Protein Iced Coffee. But since his taste buds are constantly changing, he explains in the post he’s fairly confident his favorites will be completely different a year from now.
In AMA #40 of The Drive, Attia said his goal is not to throw back 1,000 calories at once, but to consume high levels of protein without overeating. Yet many flavored protein powders contain added ingredients that pump up the sugar and calories. Which is why Attia used to mix four protein powders—two flavored and two unflavored—blending 25mg of flavored protein powder with the same amount of unflavored powder for a less-sweet shake with a lower caloric load.
Glycine
Attia regularly speaks about the importance of sleep but rarely reveals his own routine. In AMA #42 of his podcast, however, he spoke in depth about how he chases quality slumber, including which supplements he takes to support sleep.
Glycine, which he describes as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, may help you fall asleep quicker. Attia points to a study that suggests glycine may help you enter slow-wave sleep faster without altering your sleep or wake routine.
Attia says he takes glycine with the hope that it’s calming to the central nervous system, but acknowledges the data isn’t necessarily substantial yet. In the same podcast episode, he mentions that he used to take a supplement called phenibut, which was a more effective means of achieving these same ends, but that substance was banned by the FDA.
Ashwagandha
As with glycine, Attia takes ashwagandha as a milder diet version of another supplement called phosphatidylserine.
Research suggests both are associated with a reduction in cortisol levels (2), which can have an anxiety-reducing effect and may help you get to sleep.
Attia takes 600 mg before bed daily and though he doesn’t mention specific brands, you can find the stuff pretty much anywhere supplements are sold for a decent price. Here’s a 60-day supply for $20, for instance.
Methylated B12
Attia says that one reason he takes methylated B12 is to mitigate homocysteine—an amino acid increased during the metabolism of another amino acid (methionine)—which is associated with increased inflammation. Chronic inflammation is associated with conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Research shows that methylated B12 may reduce inflammation by mitigating homocysteine (3).
“We definitely manage homocysteine very aggressively, so we’re very liberal with our use of methylated B vitamins to keep homocysteine down,” Attia says. “We typically target eight or nine as the upper limit [of homocysteine] we want to see, even though the lab reference range says up to 13 or 14 is normal.”
Attia’s pick
Jarrow Methylated B12.
Methylfolate
One reason Attia takes methylfolate, also called L-methylfolate, 5-MTHF, or (6S)-5-MTHF)—the only form of folate that can cross the blood-brain barrier—is to mitigate homocysteine. When folate crosses the blood-brain barrier, it may help regulate dopamine and serotonin levels (4).
Methylfolate is frequently recommended to people who are antidepressant non-responders who have the MTHFR genetic mutation, which can block antidepressant absorption (5).
Individuals who are antidepressant non-responders who supplemented their SSRIs—a type of antidepressant medication—with methylfolate reported significantly boosted efficacy of their medication, according to a paper published in Frontiers of Psychiatry (6).
Attia’s pick
Vitamin B6
Attia told neuroscientist Tommy Wood, M.D., Ph.D., that one of the reasons he takes vitamin B6 is to mitigate homocysteine on a recent episode of The Drive podcast. Vitamin B6 works by helping you produce neurotransmitters like serotonin (responsible for carrying messages from nerve cells to other cells), according to Mount Sinai, and another neurotransmitter, GABA (which inhibits a cell’s ability to receive, create or send chemical signals to other nerve cells).
Supplemented B6 improved peoples’ mood and reduced depression anxiety in a 2022 study (7). The study authors suspect that this is because vitamin B6 improved the synthesis of GABA, which produces a calming effect.
In a recent AMA podcast episode, Attia says that he’s reduced his B6 intake to 50mg, three times a week, since some people develop a type of neuropathy (nerve damage) after taking too much. While Attia hasn’t experienced any side effects from B6 supplementation, he’s playing it safe.
Attia’s Pick
Pure Encapsulations B6
Magnesium
Attia takes three types of magnesium: poorly absorbed, efficiently absorbed, and L-threonate. Here’s why:
Magnesium oxide
Poorly absorbed magnesium—like magnesium oxide and citrate—can help treat constipation, per Attia. He recommends starting with 400mg of magnesium oxide and titrating how much you take based on your bowel movements (i.e. back off on your dose if you start experiencing diarrhea or loose stools).
When he’s not fasting, Attia takes 400-500mg of magnesium oxide.
Magnesium chloride
Efficiently absorbed magnesium, or magnesium chloride, boosts potassium and sodium concentrations in your cells (8). Attia recommends magnesium chloride to patients who experience cramping with fasting, which is a sign of low potassium.
“When people are fasting we tend to push this up and push oxide down because they’re struggling to get enough sodium, potassium, and magnesium,” Attia says on an AMA episode of The Drive podcast.
Attia’s pick
To boost his levels, he takes two tablets of SlowMag when not fasting and ups his dose to three to four tablets when fasting.
Magnesium L-threonate
There’s some evidence that shows magnesium may help treat mild cognitive impairment and improve sleep (9, 10). That’s where L-threonate—a central nervous system (CNS) transporter—comes in to help magnesium cross the blood-brain barrier, making it easier to reap the full brain health benefits.
L-threonate works by taking the magnesium you have in your body and transporting it into your CNS, which helps it cross the blood-brain barrier (11).
Attia’s pick
Attia takes two capsules, roughly 2 grams, of Magtein daily.
Probiotics
Attia takes a probiotic called Glucose Control by Pendulum first thing in the morning (with his Ag1, of course).
Probiotics support a healthy gut microbiome, which can stave off inflammation. Chronic gut inflammation may make you less responsive to insulin—the hormone that controls how much sugar is in your blood (12).
A study by Pendulum suggests that Glucose Control may improve insulin sensitivity in people who take the supplement (13). In a recent AMA, Attia says that he is testing his own insulin sensitivity while taking the probiotic.
References
1. Krajewska, et al (2022). Vitamin D Effects on Selected Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Inflammatory Markers of Obesity-Related Chronic Inflammation.
2. Lopresti, et al (2019). An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract.
3. Koklesova, et al (2021). Homocysteine metabolism as the target for predictive medical approach, disease prevention, prognosis, and treatments tailored to the person.
4. Kose, et al (2018). L-methylfolate in patients with treatment resistant depression: fulfilling the goals of personalized psychopharmacological therapy.
5. Golja, et al (2020). Folate Insufficiency Due to MTHFR Deficiency Is Bypassed by 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate.
6. Macaluso, et al (2022). L-Methylfolate in Antidepressant Non-responders: The Impact of Body Weight and Inflammation.
7. Field, et al (2022). High-dose Vitamin B6 supplementation reduces anxiety and strengthens visual surround suppression.
8. Ahmed, et al (2018). Magnesium: The Forgotten Electrolyte—A Review on Hypomagnesemia.
9. Al-Ghazali, et al (2019). Serum Magnesium and Cognitive Function Among Qatari Adults.
10. Arab, et al (2022). The Role of Magnesium in Sleep Health: a Systematic Review of Available Literature.
11. Kim, et al (2020). Neuroprotective effects of magnesium L-threonate in a hypoxic zebrafish model.
12. Rehman, et al (2016). Mechanisms of inflammatory responses and development of insulin resistance: how are they interlinked?
13. Goldman, et al (2022). A New Medical Probiotic Formulation for the Nutritional Management of Type 2 Diabetes.
