A week after being named as a CBS News contributor, Dr. Peter Attia is coming under fire after the latest raft of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files includes more than 1,700 mentions and evidence of a friendly relationship with the wealthy convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019.
The correspondence makes it clear that Attia maintained a relationship with Epstein long after the financier faced sex trafficking and prostitution charges. “I go into JE withdrawal when I don’t see him.,” reads a line from Attia to Lesley Groff, who was an Epstein assistant. The remark, found in a January 2016 email, has spurred negative reaction on social media.
CBS News was not able to offer immediate comment on Attia’s status as a on-air contributor. He is known for his focus on the study of human longevity and anti-aging techniques.
On Jan. 27, CBS News named Attia as one of 19 new contributors to the news network that is being revamped top-to-bottom by Bari Weiss, the newly installed editor-in-chief. In the CBS News announcement, Attia was billed as “the founder of Outlive, a new app that translates longevity science into personalized daily practice; and Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients, aiming to simultaneously lengthen their lifespan and increase their healthspan. He is also the host of the popular podcast “The Peter Attia Drive” and author of the bestseller “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.”
Attia was at the center of a “60 Minutes” story in October of last year, in which correspondent Norah O’Donnell talked to him about his ideas for preserving quality of life in advanced age. Attia placed an emphasis on exercise, protein consumption and early diagnostics.
Some of the other contributors Weiss named are known for their research into health and wellness, but sometimes support ideas that are not embraced by the scientific mainstream. One of them is Mark Hyman, a physician who has been active in trying to reform food and agriculture policy, but who has also been a supporter of some of the controversial policies being put into place by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy. Among the ideas he champions is the so-called “pegan diet,” which restricts nutrient-dense foods like beans and whole grains. Andrew Huberman is a popular science podcaster whose promotion of dietary supplements has drawn some rebuke.
