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Summary of Transcript:
Peter Etia welcomes David to the Drive Podcast, and they discuss David’s background and how he approaches the field of obesity. David explains that he has always been the kid asking questions and that he started out wanting to be a psychologist. He eventually became more cognitively and behaviorally oriented and studied multivariate statistics. He explains that he was drawn to obesity as a clinical field as an undergraduate when he took a class on human emotion and motivation which studied the theories of Stanley Schachter. David explains that Schachter’s experiments were creative and that he talked about the connections between cognitive states and physiologic arousal states, which can lead to certain behaviors such as overeating.
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Summary of Description:
Podcasts
In this episode of The Peter Attia Drive, Peter interviews award-winning scientific writer David Allison, Dean of the Indiana University School of Public Health. They discuss the science of obesity, the potential impact of nutritional epidemiology in public health, the ‘Obesity Paradox,’ BMI and mortality data, maintaining weight loss, and rebuilding trust in science.
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The Science of Obesity: Exploring the Evidence with David Allison
In this episode of The Peter Attia Drive, Dr. Peter Attia is joined by David Allison, Dean of the Indiana University School of Public Health and an award-winning science writer who has been at the forefront of obesity research for the last 20 years.
David provides an insightful and unemotional explanation of the potential impact of nutritional epidemiology in public health and its many pitfalls and limitations. He offers his take on the path forward in addressing the obesity epidemic. He closes with a lucid explanation for the evident lack of credibility in science and the steps we can take to change that.
The Moment When the Obesity Crisis Was Recognized
David talks about when the obesity crisis was recognized and the sloppy science that ensued. He explains what twin studies tell us about the genetics of obesity and how doctors and scientists have historically approached obesity treatment. He also shares his thoughts on whether surgical procedures for obesity prolong life and the ‘Obesity Paradox.’
Interpreting BMI and Mortality Data
David discusses how to interpret BMI and mortality data and considers confounders. He explains how body composition and ethnicity factor into consideration of BMI data and talks about special tools for measuring obesity at the individual level. He also provides his take on using BMI data for actionable steps to combat obesity and why maintaining a weight loss is more challenging than losing weight.
The Limitations of Nutritional Epidemiology
The conversation then turns to the limitations of nutritional epidemiology and how it can improve. David shares a mouse study illustrating the impossibility of fully controlling for confounds in observational studies. He also shares his differing perspectives on the utility of nutritional epidemiology and his thoughts on the path forward in addressing the obesity epidemic and the obstacles to overcome.
Rebuilding Trust in Science
Finally, David explains what he believes to be the most promising interventions we could take to address obesity and improve public health. He also discusses the importance of reproducibility in science, normative and non-normative errors, rebuilding trust in science, and differentiating between science and advocacy.
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Source Description
View episode show notes here: https://bit.ly/3HgjLMf
David Allison is an award-winning science writer at the forefront of obesity research for the last 20 years. Currently the Dean of the Indiana University School of Public Health, he has also authored many publications on statistical and research methodology and improving research rigor and integrity. David’s focus on evidence and data brings an interesting discussion of what we know (and don’t know) about the science of obesity. He provides an insightful and unemotional explanation of the potential impact of nutritional epidemiology on public health and its many pitfalls and limitations. He offers his take on the path forward in addressing the obesity epidemic. He closes with a lucid explanation for the evident lack of credibility in science and the steps we can take to change that.
We discuss:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:00:10 – David’s background, interest in obesity, and focus on evidence
00:08:44 – The moment when the obesity crisis was recognized, and the sloppy science that ensued
00:17:11 – What twins studies tell us about the genetics of obesity
00:20:36 – How doctors and scientists have historically approached obesity treatment
00:28:45 – Do surgical procedures for obesity prolong life?
00:34:08 – The ‘Obesity Paradox.’
00:41:48 – Interpreting BMI and mortality data and considering confounders
00:49:54 – How body composition and ethnicity factor into consideration of BMI data
00:57:12 – Superior tools for measuring obesity at the individual level
01:02:31 – Using BMI data for actionable steps to combat obesity
01:06:55 – Why maintaining a weight loss is more challenging than losing weight
01:18:44 – Differing perspectives on the utility of nutritional epidemiology
01:25:08 – A mouse study illustrating the impossibility of fully controlling for confounds in observational studies
01:29:59 – Limitations of nutritional epidemiology and how it can improve
01:42:06 – Addressing the obesity epidemic—the path forward and obstacles to overcome
01:53:28 – What David believes to be the most promising interventions we could take to address obesity and improve public health
01:57:45 – Reproducibility in science, normative and non-normative errors explained
02:05:27 – Rebuilding trust in science and differentiating between science and advocacy
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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 40 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 extensively deals with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease) while improving healthspan (quality of life).
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