Peter Attia's Longevity Protocols: What He Tests & What It Costs
Peter Attia's Medicine 3.0 playbook — DEXA scans, ApoB, Lp(a), Zone 2, CGM — with real Austin cash-pay prices for each protocol.
Peter Attia builds his protocol around a single insight: the conditions that kill most people have 10–20 year latency periods. Catch them early, and they're reversible. The testing is more comprehensive than standard medicine, but it's not exotic. And in Austin, cash-pay labs make it cheap.
DEXA scans at $75–$175 instead of $300+. ApoB testing at $20–$60. The full panel runs $200–$500 instead of $1,500–$3,000 through hospital billing.
Here's what to test.
Protocol #1: DEXA Scan (Body Composition)
What it is: Measures body fat, lean muscle, and bone density with precision that scale or BMI can't touch. Attia prioritizes muscle mass as a longevity predictor — sarcopenia (muscle loss with age) is a major mortality risk most people ignore until it's too late.
In Austin: $75–$175 at cash-pay imaging centers.
Hospital DEXA for bone density: $300–$500. Private wellness centers with full body composition: $75–$175.
Protocol #2: Extensive Bloodwork — Beyond Standard Panels
ApoB (Apolipoprotein B)
The particle count marker that matters more than LDL-C. Measures actual number of atherogenic particles — better cardiovascular risk predictor than total cholesterol. Insurance physicals skip this.
Cash-pay: $20–$60. LaboratoryAssist or Any Lab Test Now.
Lp(a) — Lipoprotein(a)
Genetic cardiovascular risk factor diet and exercise can't change. You have it or you don't. Attia tests everyone early.
Cash-pay: $30–$80. Needs specific order — not on standard panels.
Glucose + Insulin Markers
- Hemoglobin A1C — 90-day average blood sugar. $8–$49.
- Fasting insulin — Early warning for insulin resistance A1C misses. $25–$60.
- OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) — Full glucose/insulin response. $50–$150.
Standard Markers
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) — $5–$49
- Lipid Panel — $7–$49
- Liver, kidney, thyroid, vitamin D, inflammatory markers
Full Attia-style panel: $150–$350 cash-pay. Hospital billing: $500–$1,200+.
Search longevity lab tests in Austin → | Browse Longevity+Care providers →
Protocol #3: Zone 2 Training + VO2 Max Testing
Attia returns to Zone 2 constantly — it's the foundation. VO2 max matters most to him. His data: top 2% VO2 max for your age has roughly 5x lower mortality risk than bottom 25%.
A proper metabolic test (VO2 or lactate threshold): $150–$300 in Austin. Test every 1–2 years. This number moves slowly.
Search VO2 max testing in Austin →
Protocol #4: Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)
Wearing one for 2–4 weeks shows how your blood sugar responds to food, exercise, sleep, stress. Fasting glucose snapshot can't capture this.
In Austin: $75–$150 out of pocket for 2 weeks. Libre and Dexcom available through DPC and functional medicine providers. Need provider order in Texas.
Search CGM providers in Austin →
Protocol #5: Sleep Tracking + Sleep Quality
Attia tracks HRV, respiratory rate, sleep stages with wearables (Whoop, Oura). Treats sleep as a performance variable.
Home sleep study (rule out apnea): $150–$400 cash-pay vs. $1,500+ hospital.
Search sleep studies in Austin →
Do It in Austin
Hospital labs and insurance billing: $1,500–$3,000 annually for the same tests. Austin cash-pay: $200–$500 total. The DEXA. The ApoB. The Lp(a). The fasting insulin. All without hospital markup.
Written by
Marcus Webb
Independent Health Researcher
Marcus is a freelance health journalist based in South Austin. He went four years without employer insurance and became obsessed with figuring out how the self-pay system actually works — so he started writing it down.
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