Longevity Expert Reveals Five Strategies to Combat Age-Related Decline

Most people experience a dramatic health decline in their 70s, but this “falling off a cliff” isn’t inevitable, according to longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia. The Stanford-trained physician, who practices in Austin, Texas, recently shared his top strategies for extending not just lifespan, but “healthspan” – the period when one remains free from age-related health problems.

“At 75, both men and women fall off a cliff,” Attia said during a recent “60 Minutes” interview, where he outlined his approach to maintaining strength, health and engagement throughout life’s later decades.

Douglas E. Vaughan, M.D., director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute at Northwestern University, supports this concept, noting that lifestyle modifications like quitting smoking, drinking less, maintaining healthy weight, exercising regularly, avoiding processed foods and developing good sleep habits can all contribute to extending healthspan.

Attia’s recommendations focus on five key areas that challenge conventional thinking about aging and healthcare:

Training Like Life is a Sport

Attia advocates approaching aging like an athlete would prepare for competition. He emphasizes that fitness, strength and mobility become increasingly important markers of health as we age – often more significant than traditional medical metrics.

The longevity expert commits approximately 10 hours weekly to a structured exercise regimen combining fat-burning cardiovascular activity, high-intensity interval training to boost oxygen utilization, and strength training to preserve muscle mass.

His approach alternates between “zone two” exercise – steady cardio that allows for conversation – and more intense “zone four” training that pushes physical limits. This comprehensive training philosophy directly addresses the physical decline that typically accompanies aging.

Utilizing Meaningful Health Assessments

Rather than relying solely on standard bloodwork, Attia recommends tracking metrics like VO₂ max – the maximum amount of oxygen the body uses during intense exercise.

“Your VO2 max is more strongly correlated with your lifespan than any other metric I can measure,” Attia explained. “It predicts your risk of death from any cause, even more than your blood pressure, cholesterol or smoking status.”

He also utilizes DEXA scans to measure bone density, muscle mass and body fat composition, providing a more comprehensive picture of physical health than traditional diagnostics.

“When you look at things like cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle mass, and strength, they have a much higher association [with longevity] than things like cholesterol and blood pressure,” Attia noted.

Additionally, he recommends full-body MRI scans for early cancer detection and genetic testing for the APOE gene, which indicates elevated Alzheimer’s risk. Carriers with one copy face roughly two to three times higher risk of developing dementia, while those with two copies may have up to ten times greater risk.

Increasing Protein Intake

Attia challenges standard nutritional guidelines, recommending protein consumption at more than twice the currently recommended levels. Research links higher protein intake to increased muscle mass, stronger immune function and reduced disease burden.

While the current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight daily (about 55 grams for a 150-pound person), Attia suggests significantly higher levels to support muscle maintenance and overall health in aging individuals.

Prioritizing Emotional and Social Connections

Physical fitness represents only one aspect of Attia’s longevity approach. He places equal emphasis on emotional, mental and relational health.

“It’s as much a practice as what I put into exercise, blood work and cancer screening,” he said. “By working hard on our physical health, we can reduce the rate of decline. But if we’re being deliberate and active on our emotional health, it can actually improve.”

Attia credits his 20-plus year marriage as a cornerstone of his own health journey, suggesting that relationship quality directly impacts longevity. Dr. Vaughan confirms this observation, noting that “super agers” commonly benefit from supportive communities, healthy social environments and regular contact with caring individuals.

Optimizing the “Marginal Decade”

While acknowledging that decline remains inevitable, Attia focuses on optimizing what he terms the “marginal decade” – life’s final years – to maintain maximum function and independence.

“The marginal decade’s not going anywhere. We will all have a final decade of life,” he explained. “If you don’t do anything about it, you will fall to a level of about 50% of your total capacity, cognitively [and] physically.”

By implementing his comprehensive approach throughout life, Attia believes individuals can significantly improve their physical and cognitive capacity during these critical final years, maintaining independence and quality of life much longer than typically expected.

As the global population ages, with many countries facing demographic shifts toward older populations, Attia’s strategies offer a framework for addressing the challenges of extended longevity through proactive, multifaceted interventions rather than merely treating age-related conditions as they arise.