Audit a URL →

Sign in Sign up free

Loading…

Weekly · Sunday Morning

Five longevity claims.
Worth your time.
Every Sunday.

Last Sunday

Rapamycin extends mouse lifespan 9–14%
NAD+ precursors reverse aging in humans
Blue-light glasses improve sleep quality
Walking 10 min after meals blunts glucose
Verdict change — caffeine half-life downgraded

5 audits·1 verdict change·0 affiliate links·Every Sunday

Joining 1,247 readers — founders, MDs, and longevity-obsessed people who fact-check their own health decisions.

Browse

Decisions Claims Content Creators

Product

Audit a URL Sunday roundup API (soon)Pricing

About

FAQ Methodology Editorial Standards Corrections Press & brand RSS feed

Legal

Terms of Service Privacy Policy DMCA

Finally, something serious in this space.
Because we actually read the papers.

© 2026 Whalespan. Independent, evidence-graded longevity.

Why are autism rates increasing? | Trenna Sutcliffe and Peter Attia — Whalespan

Content›Video›Why are autism rates increas…

Why are autism rates increasing? | Trenna Sutcliffe and Peter Attia

Peter Attia22m · 2025-03-06

Claims Made

33

Claims Supported

28

Support Rate

85%

Support rate

28 of 33 claims supported

28 supported5 partial / not

Claims from this content

23

✓Well SupportedAutism is highly heritable, estimated at 85-90%, with underlying genetic factors potentially differing among affected children.✓Well SupportedThe frequency of autism diagnoses is 1 in 36 US children.✓Well SupportedAt least 100 genes have been identified with high confidence as being associated with autism.✓Well SupportedEnvironmental factors such as maternal stress, pollution, maternal diet, and parental age are associated with an increased risk of autism.✓Well Supported

More from Peter Attia

Peter Attia on Zone 2 Cardio

Peter Attia on Rapamycin (with Matt Kaeberlein)

Attia walks back the clinic protocol: too aggressive for healthy adults

Discussion

Native comments, Twitter mentions, and Reddit threads about this content — surfaced together so the conversation isn't fragmented across platforms.

M

Share your read of this content…

Posting publicly as you · linked to your social profiles

Sort by:

AV

A. Volkovreader

4h

Bookmarking — the dossier-vs-overview split is the right call. Most of the time I want overview; sometimes I want receipts.

NP

N. Park

2d

Would love a "what would change this verdict" RSS feed. Sign me up if it exists.

Most cancers are primarily caused by somatic mutations, not inherited germline mutations.

✓Well SupportedIncreased autism diagnoses are primarily explained by increased awareness and expanded diagnostic definitions, not genetic shifts.

✓Well SupportedAutism is highly heritable.

✓Well SupportedAutism is a complex condition with multiple causes, not a single one, and is best described by a 'many-hit' model involving genetics, environment, and epigenetics.

◐Partially SupportedThe rise in type 2 diabetes is caused by genetic predisposition and environmental factors, including the food environment.

◐Partially SupportedThe incidence of type 2 diabetes in the US has increased five to sevenfold over the past 50 years.

◐Partially SupportedEnvironmental exposures in a grandparent can alter methylation in germ cells, potentially influencing their grandchild's health.

◐Partially SupportedThe question of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance should be answerable within a decade.

◐Partially SupportedMethylation controls gene expression and is a significant factor determining differential gene expression across tissues.

◐Partially SupportedA child may be susceptible to health issues due to inherited germline methylation patterns and in-utero methylation impacts from environmental exposures.

◐Partially SupportedThe heterogeneity of cancer, with many different underlying genetic changes and immune responses, explains why gene therapy has not been successful for most cancers.

◐Partially SupportedGenetic changes implicated in autism are germline, unlike most cancers which arise from acquired somatic mutations.

◐Partially SupportedUnderstanding the causal nature of an epidemic is essential for developing effective therapies.

◐Partially SupportedEnvironmental triggers like paternal age, maternal stress, poor nutrition, and toxins may contribute to epigenetic changes associated with autism.

◐Partially SupportedAutism is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental influences.

◐Partially SupportedEnvironmental factors and epigenetics are being researched for their role in increasing autism rates.

◐Partially SupportedEnvironmental factors impact DNA methylation and epigenetics.

◐Partially SupportedResearch on specific autism sub-buckets (Level 1, 2, 3) is scarce, and clinicians may not consistently identify them.

?Limited ResearchAutism rates could reach one in three children in 30 years if current trends continue, and a lack of clear causality for this trend is worrying.