With the surge in health and wellness podcasts recently, many people are discovering what various health experts recommend for optimizing longevity and overall health.
One of the most influential experts in this space is Peter Attia, who has covered a wide variety of topics related to longevity, healthspan, genetics, and general health optimization.
As a result, many people are curious about Attia’s own supplement routine to understand what role these products play in his health-centered lifestyle.
In this article, we’ll clear up any confusion by detailing Peter Attia’s complete supplement regimen. Keep reading to discover what he takes, why he takes it, and the evidence behind his routine.
About Peter Attia
Peter Attia, MD, is one of the leading public figures in longevity and overall health and wellness. Attia received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed a five-year general surgery training program at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Attia is also the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice centered on increasing patients’ lifespans and improving their healthspan.
Attia has gained public recognition and popularity through his podcast, The Drive, which focuses on health and medicine, as well as through his New York Times #1 Best Seller, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.
Peter Attia is widely regarded as one of the most trusted experts in the health and wellness space.
Peter Attia’s Supplement Summary
Attia’s supplement routine changes periodically. He likes to update and modify his regimen when new research emerges or simply from the desire to experiment and observe how different protocols affect him.
Most recently in a special episode of The Drive (#276), Attia outlined his complete daily supplement routine.
You can view the specific segment from that episode here.
According to this, here is Peter Attia’s current supplement regimen:
Morning/Daytime:
- Athletic Greens: 1 serving
- Pendulum Glucose Control: 2 capsules
- Carlson’s Maximum Omega-3: 4 capsules (2g EPA and 1.5g DHA)
- Vitamin D3: 5,000 IU
- Slow Mag: 2 to 3 capsules
- Jarrow Methyl Folate and Methyl B12 (standard dose): 1 of those
- Vitamin B6: 50mg 3x/week
- Baby Aspirin: 1 pill
Evening/Nighttime:
- Solgar Ashwagandha: 600mg
- Thorne Glycine: 2g
- Magtein Magnesium L-Threonate
- Jarrow Phosphatidylserine: 100mg-400mg sometimes during travel
Peter Attia’s Supplements
One important point before we examine the supplements is that this is HIS routine, and we aren’t suggesting that people should follow it.
Attia himself says he actually hates discussing his supplement routine because “I notice that it tends to show up online and it somehow becomes like, well, if Peter does this, you should do this or something like that. And there’s no context to it, and therefore, nobody understands the rationale…the clinical history, and all those things.”
This serves as a good reminder and reflects the mindset we also maintain when conducting any of these types of reviews.
With that said, let’s dive into the specifics of Attia’s supplement regimen!
Athletic Greens
Attia takes one serving of Athletic Greens (or AG1) in the morning. He does disclose that he’s an investor in and advisor to that company.
However, he also says he genuinely believes in it as a way to cover his nutritional bases and obtain a wide range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients.
Pendulum Glucose Control
Dr. Attia also takes a probiotic supplement called Pendulum Glucose Control. He believes this supplement is one of the most rigorously tested probiotics available.
In one of his recent podcasts detailing his regimen, Attia notes one study in which “the people who had been taking this Pendulum had a 30% reduction in postprandial glucose AUC (area under the curve)”.
He also mentioned another study showing this supplement lowered hemoglobin A1C. Overall, Attia takes this product to support insulin sensitivity and glycemic health.
Carlson’s EPA/DHA
In his recent supplement breakdown, Attia also said he supplements with the highest-dosed EPA/DHA product from Carlson (which is the same omega-3 brand Joe Rogan uses). From their website, we determined this was Carlson Maximum Omega-3.
Attia takes four capsules in the morning (which is two servings), providing 4g of omega-3s, which includes 2,500mg of EPA and 1,000mg of DHA.
This is a substantial dose, but Attia says that “the reason I take that much is I’m treating to [achieve] a red blood cell membrane concentration of EPA and DHA of about 12%.” So, this is a specific biomarker he uses to determine the appropriate amount.
He’s discussed previously how omega-3s are crucial for brain function, heart health, inflammation, and other concerns, and this has been a staple in his routine even as other supplements have changed.
Vitamin D3
In the morning, Attia also takes 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 (although we don’t know the specific brand).
He doesn’t always take vitamin D, but more often than not includes it in his routine. According to Attia, the risk of vitamin D supplementation is “insanely low” (likely referring to hypercalcemia or other commonly cited vitamin D-related risks).
Attia has said that he likes to maintain vitamin D levels in the range of 40 to 60ng/mL. He supplements primarily because it can be challenging to achieve these levels without substantial sunlight exposure.
Slow Mag
Peter Attia takes two to three capsules per day of Slow Mag, which is a slow-release form of magnesium.
Attia says, “all in all, I’m trying to get a gram of total magnesium in my system in a day”, which comes from his diet, Slow Mag, and other magnesium forms, which we’ll discuss below.
Two capsules provides 143mg of magnesium, 416mg chloride, and 238mg of calcium, so it contains other minerals besides magnesium, mainly for nerve and heart function.
From this short clip, we heard Attia say that “the three big systems where I think magnesium matters the most is with respect to bone health, with respect to nerve transmission, and with respect to glucose control and insulin metabolism”. In other words, he takes it for healthy, strong bones, optimal brain function, and healthy metabolism.
He also believes most people are severely deficient in magnesium, especially if they don’t supplement regularly.
Jarrow Methyl Folate & Methyl B12
Attia also takes a methyl folate and methyl B12 supplement from Jarrow. He says that, “I take these to keep homocysteine below 9” (which refers to 9 micromoles/L).
Regarding dosage, Attia sticks to the standard dose because it’s sufficient to hit his biomarker for homocysteine (an amino acid). He believes the methylated forms are more effective at lowering homocysteine levels.
This is important since elevated homocysteine levels are linked to an increased risk of dementia, heart disease, and stroke, among other issues.
Vitamin B6
Another B vitamin Attia uses is vitamin B6. He initially took 50mg daily, but now only takes this dose three times per week after realizing he didn’t need as much as he thought.
On episode #276 of The Drive, Attia states, “We have seen some people who, when they take too much B6, can actually develop a sort of neuropathy as a result of it.”
He takes B6 to help with homocysteine levels. Other benefits of vitamin B6 include cognitive function and decreased risk of heart problems.
Baby Aspirin
The final supplement Attia takes during the morning/day is one baby aspirin. Attia says he doesn’t necessarily need it for heart health, but believes the risk-to-benefit ratio is favorable enough that he takes it daily.
However, he’s noted that he goes through periods of not taking it as well. So this doesn’t appear to be a major component of his routine.
Solgar Ashwagandha
Now, we’ll explore the night/evening supplements Attia uses, starting with Solgar Ashwagandha. Specifically, he takes 600mg at night to reduce cortisol and improve his sleep quality.
Indeed, research shows that ashwagandha can reduce cortisol levels and may improve sleep, anxiety, and stress.
Thorne Glycine
Another supplement that Attia uses to enhance his sleep is Thorne Glycine, at a 2g dose. He’s discussed previously how glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter and can help calm the brain.
Additionally, glycine has been shown to lower core body temperature, which is also important for sleep initiation.
Consequently, it’s a mainstay in his pre-bed supplement routine.
Magtein Magnesium L-Threonate
Attia uses the Magtein® form of magnesium l-threonate. He uses this not only for sleep but also to enhance brain health and cognitive function. This is also part of Andrew Huberman’s night routine.
On an episode of the Jay Shetty Podcast, Attia says there’s evidence that “magnesium l-threonate is beneficial to the brain and might even have some capacity to reduce the risk of dementia”.
Currently, it’s unclear exactly how much he takes, but a standard dose typically provides around 100 to 150mg of elemental magnesium (from magnesium l-threonate).
Jarrow Phosphatidylserine
The final supplement in Attia’s arsenal is phosphatidylserine. He only takes this when traveling and experiencing jet lag. In these cases, he’ll use up to 400mg.
Final Thoughts: Peter Attia Supplements
Overall, Peter Attia’s supplement routine is quite straightforward and perhaps less complex than others may have expected. This reinforces the idea that achieving optimal health and wellness doesn’t require an excessive number of steps.
For the most part, it’s about executing the basics exceptionally well and adding other elements depending on your individual factors.
