Dr. Peter Attia, the celebrity doctor who helped popularize the longevity craze, has publicly apologized as he faces a growing backlash following the release of email exchanges he had with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Attia’s name appears frequently in the latest batch of Epstein files, which the Justice Department released Friday. The two exchanged jokes, scheduled times to meet and discussed Epstein’s health via email in the mid-2010s, with Epstein saying at one point that he could pay to be Attia’s client.
“You the biggest problem with becoming friends with you?” Attia wrote in June 2015. “The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul…”
In a message in February 2016, Attia made a crude joke that female genitalia was “low carb.”
The revelation that Attia and Epstein had been friendly came just days after CBS News announced that it had hired Attia as a contributor. The network did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether it intends to keep him in the role. CBS News has pulled a rerun of a “60 Minutes” segment featuring Attia that was scheduled to air Sunday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
On Monday, Attia wrote on X that his interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with Epstein’s pattern of sexual abuse or exploitation. Attia said he had not been involved in any criminal activity and had never visited Epstein’s island. Authorities have not accused Attia of any crimes.
“I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me. I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it,” he wrote.
Attia said his remark about not being able to tell others about Epstein’s “outrageous” life was a reference to exercising discretion in powerful social circles, not an awareness of wrongdoing. He added that he had not been Epstein’s doctor, “though several times I answered general medical questions and recommended other providers to him.”
Attia did not respond to a request for comment.
Attia is one of the biggest names in the longevity space, a medical philosophy rooted in the idea that people can improve and extend their quality of life and stave off chronic disease through a combination of exercise, sleep and good nutrition and by tending to their emotional health. He is the author of the best-selling book “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity” and host of the popular podcast “The Peter Attia Drive.” His company, Early Medical, offers a program that teaches people how to live healthier for longer.
In the last few days, Attia has parted ways with at least two companies.
He had been a scientific adviser for AG1, the maker of a powdered supplement billed as a way to fill “nutrient gaps” in people’s diets.
An AG1 spokesperson said in an emailed statement that “as of this week, Dr. Attia is no longer an advisor to the company.”
Some doctors and longevity practitioners had recently questioned whether AG1 has any significant benefit. The spokesperson said multiple trials have shown that the product has positive impacts, such as improving gut health.
Until Monday, Attia was also an investor and the chief science officer for David, a protein bar company that has capitalized on the growing popularity of high-protein diets.
David’s CEO, Peter Rahal, announced on X that Attia had “stepped down from his role.” The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Attia maintains active medical licenses in Texas, California and New York but does not have a board certification and did not complete his residency, which he began at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Some doctors had previously accused Attia of touting unproven remedies and charging patients exorbitant amounts.
Now, some proponents of longevity medicine have expressed concern that Attia’s newly revealed relationship with Epstein could undermine trust in their field, which has attracted a mixture of evidence-backed and pseudoscientific approaches.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting prostitution, including from a minor. He was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019 and found dead in his jail cell about a month later.
In an April 2016 email exchange with Epstein, Attia mentioned “LSJ” — likely to be a reference to Little Saint James, Epstein’s private island, which is alleged to have been a spot where women and girls were abused — saying, “I need to visit some time…” Email correspondence also revealed that Attia had planned to visit Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico in August 2015 but that the timing did not work out.
