Epstein-linked longevity expert Peter Attia leaves David Protein and his startup ‘won’t comment’

The founder of David Protein, maker of popular high-protein nutrition bars, announced Monday that longevity expert Peter Attia, Ph.D., has “stepped down from his role as David’s Chief Scientific Officer.”

The announcement comes after Atia’s name appeared in more than 1,700 documents, including email correspondence, released Friday as part of a massive dump of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to the New York Times. Attia has served on the executive team of food startups and was an early investor.

For those unfamiliar, Attia is a Canadian-American physician who has become one of the most prominent voices in the field of longevity and preventative health. He is best known for his best-selling book “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity” and his seven-year podcast exploring optimization strategies. He was also hired as a contributor by CBS last month.

New York-based three-year-old David Protein raised a $75 million Series A funding round led by Greenoaks with participation from Valor Equity Partners in May last year. The company has experienced significant growth since launching its flagship protein bar in September 2024. The product is described as containing 28g of protein, no sugar, and 150 calories.

In a lengthy post about Attia also discussed in detail how he came to know Epstein and why he continued a relationship with him even after Epstein was convicted in 2008.

The fallout appears to go beyond David Protein. Additionally, Biograph, a medical testing and longevity startup that Attia co-founded with entrepreneur John Hering, appears to be distancing itself from doctors. The company declined to comment on Attia’s ongoing involvement in the startup or on website pages that mentioned Attia but now omit his name or return a “file not found” error.

Previously, according to TechCrunch, the bio came out in secret a year ago with the backing of investors including Vy Capital, Human Capital, Alpha Wave, and WndrCo, as well as angel investors including Balaji Srinivasan. Like a growing number of concierge health care companies, Biograph offers premium preventive health services to members who pay between $7,500 and $15,000 per year. Attia was previously named as a co-founder in the company’s press releases and site.