Journal Club with Dr. Peter Attia | Effects of Light & Dark on Mental Health & Treatments for Cancer

In this journal club episode, my guest is Dr. Peter Attia, M.D., a Stanford and Johns Hopkins-trained physician focusing on healthspan and lifespan and the host of The Drive podcast.

We each present a peer-reviewed scientific paper chosen because it contains novel, interesting, and actionable data. First, we discuss a paper on how bright light exposure at sunrise and throughout the day and dark exposure at night independently improve mental health and can offset some of the major symptoms of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Then, we discuss an article that explores a novel class of immunotherapy treatments to combat cancer. We also discuss some of the new data on low-calorie sweeteners and if they are safe. This episode should be of interest to listeners curious about maximizing their vitality and longevity and to anyone seeking science-supported ways to improve mental health and lifespan.

Read the full shotes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab

Timestamps

00:00:00 Dr. Peter Attia, Journal Club

00:02:56 Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

00:07:14 Light, Dark & Mental Health; Retina

00:11:16 Outdoor vs. Indoor Light, Cataracts, Sunglasses

00:16:17 Tools: Sunrise & Sunsets, Circadian Rhythm; Midday Light

00:24:55 Tools: Night & Light Exposure; Waking Before Sunrise

00:31:05 Article #1, Light/Dark Exposure & Mental Health

00:32:36 Sponsor: AG1

00:38:18 Odds Ratio, Hazard Ratio

00:45:43 Night vs. Daylight Exposure, Mental Health Disorders

00:51:35 Major Depression & Light Exposure; Error Bars & Significance

01:00:39 Prescriptions; Environmental & Artificial Light; Red Lights

01:08:14 Nighttime Light Exposure; Sleep Trackers & Belief Effects

01:13:54 Light Directionality, Phone, Night

01:17:21 Light Wavelengths & Sensors; Sunglasses

01:20:58 Hawthorne Effect, Reverse Causality, Genetics

01:26:26 Artificial Sweeteners, Appetite

01:31:16 Natural Light Cycles, Circadian Rhythm & Mental Health

01:39:53 Article #2, Immune System & Cancer

01:43:18 T-Cell Activation; Viruses

01:50:41 Autoimmunity; Cancer & Immune System Evasion

02:00:09 Checkpoint Inhibitors, CTLA-4

02:06:45 Anti-CTLA-4 Study Drug Ipilimumab, Melanoma

02:12:07 Patient Population, Randomization, GP100

02:18:09 Response Rate

02:22:52 Overall Survival & Response

02:28:38 Median Survival vs. Overall Survival, Drug Development

02:35:45 Gender & Dose

02:40:32 Adverse Events; Autoimmunity

02:46:42 Pancreatic Cancer; Aging & Immune System Health

02:53:57 Melanoma; Lynch Syndrome, Keytruda

02:58:43 Immunotherapy & Cancer Treatment; Melanoma Risk

03:06:26 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Disclaimer & Disclosures