#134 - James O’Keefe, M.D.: Preventing cardiovascular disease and the risk of too much exercise

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

October 26, 2020

Duration

2h 9m

Channel

Peter Attia MD

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/4c602k2 James O’Keefe is a preventative cardiologist and bestselling author of The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle. In this episode, James discusses cardiac physiology and what makes the human heart susceptible to disease. He provides evidence for what supports his approach to exercise--elucidating both positive and negative kinds of exercise for heart health. He also discusses the role of nutrition, specific nutrients, and pharmacological interventions to support heart and brain longevity. We discuss: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:15 - James’ background and why he favors a preventative approach to cardiology 00:10:15 - Understanding atherosclerosis and the misconception that it’s a “plumbing problem” 00:21:15 - The danger in excessive exercise—a reverse J-shaped mortality curve 00:49:15 - The story of Micah True—a case study of excessive exercise 00:53:00 - The best kinds of exercise for longevity—The Copenhagen City Heart Study 00:58:45 - Being a more balanced athlete and finding the right exercise intensity 01:04:00 - Heart rate during exercise, resting heart rate, and other important metrics 01:09:45 - Nutrition for cardiovascular health 01:19:30 - Important nutrients: Magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and collagen 01:24:15 - GLT2 inhibition for diabetes, cardio-protection, and general longevity 01:34:15 - GLP-1 agonists for weight loss and reducing cardiovascular risk 01:37:25 - Statins—mechanism of action, safety, and useful alternatives 01:45:45 - A 40-year view on cardiovascular risk, and the possibility of reversing arterial calcification 01:53:30 - Evidence for high dose EPA and DHA for the reduction of cardiovascular disease risk 01:59:00 - The impact of omega-3, curcumin, and other compounds on mental health and dementia 02:02:15 - James’ focus beyond cardiology Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/jamesokeefe/ About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 30 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/ Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ 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 Play: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGooglePlay

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Peter Attia

  host

  Physician and host of The Drive Podcast focused on longevity and preventive medicine.

• Dr. James O’Keefe

  guest

  Cardiologist known for work on cardiovascular prevention and exercise dose-response effects.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Peter Attia MD, featuring Peter Attia and Dr. James O’Keefe, #134 - James O’Keefe, M.D.: Preventing cardiovascular disease and the risk of too much exercise explores cardiologist James O'Keefe on Preventing Heart Disease, Exercise Limits, Diet and Drugs O'Keefe explains why he left interventional cardiology for prevention, describing atherosclerosis as a systemic inflammatory process, like zits that rupture and scar, rather than a plumbing problem solved by stents.

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