Doctor who lives an active life at 101 shared 7 tips for living a long and healthy life
Most people would like to live a long and healthy life. Now, although no one can control all factors affecting their longevity, there are certain things people can do to ensure a better quality of life. Dr. John Scharffenberg is a physician and an adjunct professor at Loma Linda University's School of Public Health. He travels the world, owns a YouTube channel and goes around in his car at 101 years old. He shared a few tips that can help people stay healthy and live a long life, per TODAY.
Genetics is not a factor in Dr. Scharffenberg's health because his mom died of Alzheimer's in her 60s, and his dad died at 76. He has also outlived his two brothers by several years. "The main difference was I got a tremendous amount of exercise," he pointed out. "The time of life you get it is what's important— middle age, from 40 to 70. That's when you need it because that's the time when people usually relax, have more money, buy more food, sit around more, eat more...and that's the wrong way to go." Dr. Scharffenberg shared that the leading cause of death among people is cardiovascular illnesses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, such issues can be prevented by changes in lifestyle.
The professor shared seven major things a person can change in their lifestyle to live longer through a YouTube channel called Viva Longevity! (@Viva-Longevity). The first thing he warned against was the use of tobacco. He revealed that he had never smoked in his lifetime. He said that according to a 1964 general surgeon's report, "everybody knows not to smoke." Smoking harms almost every organ in the body and is a leading preventable cause of diseases, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol is another major risk factor that affects a person's longevity. "Women should know about this particularly because it has to do with breast cancer," the doctor remarked. "Now we used to say 'two drinks per day for men and one drink a day for women' was probably safe." But he highlighted how new studies have found that no amount of alcohol is safe.
Also, he emphasized the role of exercise in longevity and said that everyone should exercise every day. "Exercising is extremely important." He suggested that even though being overweight increases the risk of all diseases, an obese person who exercises every day might live longer than a person of normal weight who doesn't exercise. Being overweight is another concern. The risk of health problems increases when a person is slightly overweight and increases from there, per WHO. In the fourth tip, he suggested maintaining a healthy weight. For his fifth and sixth tips, he asked people not to consume too much meat and sugar, as they can cause health concerns. Sugar can increase a person's risk of developing heart disease. He also encouraged people to include more fruits and vegetables in their diet.
For his seventh tip, the doctor recommended people to "eat less saturated fat" and lean more toward a plant-based or vegetarian diet. Dr. Scharffenberg follows a vegetarian diet, including eggs and milk, per the outlet. The final tip is to consume less saturated fat. It is suggested that a person should get less than 6% of their calories from fat, per the American Heart Association. It is an indirect way of saying that a person should have a vegetarian diet, per the doctor. "The optimum diet is the vegetarian diet. I pray that all of you will live the right lifestyle," Dr. Scharffenberg said.