Editor’s Note: The Stanford Daily’s team of reporters and editors is currently working to review Department of Justice documents released this weekend for connections between Stanford, Silicon Valley and Jeffrey Epstein. We welcome your confidential tips here or at [email protected].

Stanford-trained longevity expert Peter Attia M.D. ’01 engaged in significant correspondence with convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein between 2015 and 2018, emails released from the Department of Justice on Friday show. 

Attia’s name is mentioned over 1,700 times in the files, which show him in direct contact with Epstein over three years. Communications ranged from medical advice to crude comments about women.

Since the release of the files, Attia stepped down as chief science officer of a protein bar company and CBS’s “60 Minutes” withdrew a planned rerun of an episode featuring Attia.

Documents suggest Attia may have been aware of Epstein’s misconduct. In a June 2015 email to Epstein, he wrote, “The biggest problem with becoming friends with you? The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul…” 

On Monday, Attia addressed his emails on X writing, “My interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with his sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone.” His post featured a lengthy apology, saying he was “ashamed” of his “tasteless and indefensible” messages.

In addition to providing medical advice to Epstein, including in-person examinations of Epstein’s “leg issue” and frequent visits in New York, Attia expressed affection for him. In January 2016, Attia wrote “I go into JE withdrawal when I don’t see him,” and in September 2016, he wrote “I always miss you!”

The Daily has reached out to Attia for comment. 

Like many of the contents in the Epstein files, Attia and Epstein’s correspondence contained sexually explicit comments about women. In a June 2015 exchange, Attia emailed Epstein with the subject line “got a fresh shipment,” to which Epstein responded with a redacted image and the comment “me too.” Attia replied, “Please tell [me] you found that picture on line… bastard.” Epstein replied “fraid not.” 

Attia claimed in a statement on X that the image was of an “adult woman.” 

Epstein appeared to view Attia as a medical confidant. In June 2015, Attia administered a medical kit and accompanying “paperwork” for Epstein, despite not being a board-certified physician. Later that month, Epstein suggested that Attia provide kits to “masters of the universe” — referring to wealthy and powerful figures in politics and technology— writing that doing so could help “get [Attia] in front of them.”

In September of 2015, Attia’s name appeared in Epstein’s plans for a dinner of eight, which included former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak along with a Mongolian head-of-state. Three years later, Epstein again recorded Attia’s name alongside prominent intellectuals, without a specified purpose.