A_User
#1
Is anyone else tired of longevity influencers? I feel like I’m being played by all of them in different ways, saying half-truths, selling something, wanting attention and clicks, longevity is an industry and no one is uncorrupted. I love the spirit of sharing free information like this site and discussion (and RapAdmin not seemingly monetizing the place although I wouldn’t care if he did), so the juxtaposition is clear to me. I absolutely despise the carefully worded posts on X, the specifically curated videos, and other B.S. It’s a non-perpetuating cycle and we all know the most important stuff anyway. It’s like shoveling shit to find a gold nugget of truth.
I’m fine with specific search rather than having to eat all the nonsense every day. That means when a longevity drug or therapy is available or talked about searching for what influencers say about it seems acceptable, following and having a “feed” and being fed all day long is not. It’s a waste of time probably. So an alternate way of having high quality and early information is important. What other ways are possible of having that?
Do you think it’s a good idea to not pay attention to them? How much time do you spend on longevity influencers? Or do people pay attention for other reasons?
There Will Be Blood (2007)
6 Likes
I don’t know about longevity influencers, but if you regularly read the literature and keep up with reasearch news, you should already be on top of it. There are many ways of doing that, including getting good newsletters to make sure you haven’t missed something (like the Steve Austed newsletter which I’m subscribed to, and which RapAdmin regularly posts - including today).
Once you are on top of it, it can have value to selectively follow a few influencers. Peter Attia is an example - most of the time I have no interest, but every 2-3 months he has a very interesting guest who does research in the field, and there’s a deep dive, you can learn things. Again, careful selection. Matt Kaeberlein, has an interesting podcast from time to time, but I don’t bother when he has useless guests (like the practically comatose Dr. Kevin White, whom he has on constantly - from time to time I listen briefly just to check that Kevin White is still his lifeless self, rather than been taken over by body snatchers and he actually says something of interest, alas never interesting). I listen to Simon Hill when he has an interesting guest, Dr. Greger when it looks interesting, and not much else. Key is to be selective. We are all limited by time.
9 Likes
A_User
#3
I guess with regards to longevity influencers I was hoping for some kind of ozempic be delivered over the air, like they’ll share something, some secret that I’ll actually be able to use to fix something in a meta way. But in reality, it’s not possible over the medium, not thousands of words, or more; to be convinced of something you need to learn it yourself and study papers, and especially not for your own “fixing process”. Maybe we truly are alone in some way, at least no one can fix us. I’m reminded of this quote:
"It is your show.
It is your universe.
There is no one else here, just you,
and nothing is being withheld from you.
You are completely on your own.
Everything is available for direct knowing.
No one else has anything you need.
No one else can lead you, pull you, push you or carry you.”
― Jed McKenna
Nowadays I don’t listen to any, except the occasional Attia, usually due to the guests. The recent one with Ralph DeFronzo was brilliant. I gave up on Rhonda - too overhyped by mouse studies. Huberman is just awful and has almost no critical insight, which is crazy for a Stanford professor. And yeah, I thought the same about Kevin White - guy is absolutely useless and I have no idea why Matt has him on.
I agree that this forum is an absolute goldmine, because we have personal experiences and also people linking to real studies and talking about them critically. That is so much better than “this one trick” or “you’ve been taking creatine wrong” type stuff on YouTube.
6 Likes
Lol you hit the nail on the head with Kevin White. My favorite pods are Attia and Kaeberlein when they have interesting episodes though.
2 Likes
Kaeberlein having Brian Kennedy on is great too. People who are in the trenches doing the actual research, always the most interesting and informative.
2 Likes
A_User
#7
Yeah Attia podcasts with experts have been helpful for me, it’s like steering the ship in the right direction and then you know which papers to read to verify. Sniderman and Dayspring podcasts with him I’ve particularly found useful and recommended, but all of the other experts have been good like Kaeberlein, Kennedy, Miller, the recent podcast with DeFronzo, etc. The Keto guy here as well: Optimal Blood Pressure we Should Target? Systolic Under 110 or 100? - #3 by A_User as he’s not a quack. I guess a common theme is they’re so familiar with the scientific process that they know when to be humble and skeptic, or they’re focused on their domain of expertise and recognize they lose credibility from veering off it too much or acknowledge when they do so and the limitations of that.
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I really loved the Attia podcast on lipids and medications. It really got me started on tackling my ApoB and LDL levels.
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