104-Year Old Dr. Ellsworth Wareham: 7 LOST Keys To A LONG Life

Summary

The video highlights the extraordinary life of Dr. Ellsworth Wham, a 104-year-old cardiac surgeon who performed over 12,000 surgeries. It reveals seven lifestyle and diet secrets that contributed to his longevity, including daily low-intensity exercise, reduced sugar and salt intake, a vegan diet, B12 supplementation, stress management, and living in the health-conscious community of Loma Linda. Dr. Wham's philosophy emphasizes a calm attitude, strong family bonds, and the importance of mentoring others. His methods offer valuable insights for achieving a long, fulfilling life.

Takeaways

• 👨‍⚕️ Dr. Ellsworth Wham was a pioneering cardiac surgeon who lived to be 104, providing insights into longevity.
• 🏃‍♂️ Regular low-intensity daily activities like gardening and mowing the lawn contributed to Dr. Wham's physical vitality.
• 🧗‍♂️ Climbing stairs regularly can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and improve overall health.
• 🥗 Dr. Wham advocated for a diet low in sugar and salt to maintain good health and prevent heart disease.
• 💊 Vitamin B12 was the only supplement Dr. Wham took, highlighting its importance for health, particularly in old age.
• 🚫 Eliminating animal fats from the diet can reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering LDL cholesterol.
• 🌿 Adopting a vegan diet can lead to lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
• 🤗 A positive and calm attitude towards life, along with effective stress management, is key to longevity.
• 🏘️ Living in Loma Linda, known for its blue zone with high concentrations of centenarians, influenced Dr. Wham's lifestyle and health.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Strong family ties and social connections can reduce the risk of premature death and contribute to a fulfilling life.

Q & A

Who is Dr. Ellsworth Wham and why is he considered remarkable?

Dr. Ellsworth Wham was a 104-year-old cardiac surgeon who worked until the age of 96. He performed over 12,000 open-heart surgeries and was known for his groundbreaking work in saving lives and traveling globally to perform surgeries in countries where they had never been done before.

What role does exercise play in Dr. Wham’s longevity?

Dr. Wham emphasized low-intensity daily activity, such as gardening and climbing stairs. He believed these activities preserved his strength, balance, and agility, allowing him to remain active and mobile even after the age of 100.

Why did Dr. Wham reduce his intake of sugar and salt, and how does this impact health?

Dr. Wham believed that reducing sugar and salt intake helped lower cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. Scientific research supports this, linking high sugar and salt consumption to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases.

What was Dr. Wham's approach to supplements, particularly vitamin B12?

Dr. Wham only took vitamin B12 as a supplement and was entirely vegan. He valued B12 for its role in red blood cell formation, bone health, and memory retention, which supported his mental sharpness and physical strength.

Why did Dr. Wham avoid animal fats in his diet?

Dr. Wham completely cut out animal fats from his diet, as he believed they contributed to heart disease by raising LDL cholesterol and clogging arteries. He followed advice from research suggesting that replacing animal fats with unsaturated fats reduces heart disease risk.

How did Dr. Wham’s attitude toward life contribute to his longevity?

Dr. Wham maintained a calm approach to life and avoided worrying about problems beyond his control. He believed this helped him manage stress effectively, reducing risks associated with chronic stress such as anxiety, depression, and heart problems.

What role did a vegan diet play in Dr. Wham’s long life?

Dr. Wham followed a vegan diet for half his life, believing it was key to reducing cholesterol and preventing heart disease. He incorporated advice from other experts, like Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who advocated plant-based diets for longevity.

What was special about Loma Linda, where Dr. Wham lived?

Loma Linda is one of the world's five Blue Zones, areas with high concentrations of centenarians. The residents of Loma Linda lead healthy lifestyles, with low meat consumption, regular exercise, and strong community bonds, which contributed to Dr. Wham’s longevity.

How did Dr. Wham view the importance of strong relationships?

Dr. Wham valued his close-knit family and believed that strong relationships were essential to his long life. Studies support this, showing that strong relationships can reduce the risk of premature death by 50%.

What can we learn from Dr. Wham’s life and the seven keys to his longevity?

The seven keys to Dr. Wham’s longevity include regular exercise, reduced sugar and salt intake, vitamin B12 supplementation, avoiding animal fats, maintaining a calm attitude, following a vegan diet, and living in a supportive community. These habits promoted his physical health, mental sharpness, and overall well-being, offering a blueprint for a long and fulfilling life.

Outlines

00:00

👨‍⚕️ Dr. Wham's Secrets to Longevity

Dr. Ellsworth Wham, a 104-year-old cardiac surgeon, shared his lifestyle and diet secrets that contributed to his longevity. He worked until the age of 96 and was known for his physical strength and agility. His daily routine included low-intensity activities like gardening and mowing his lawn, which helped maintain his strength and agility. Dr. Wham also emphasized the importance of reducing sugar and salt intake to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. He took vitamin B12 supplements and avoided animal fats, which are linked to higher cholesterol and heart disease. His positive attitude towards life and stress management played a significant role in his longevity.

05:00

🥗 The Vegan Diet and Its Benefits

Dr. Wham adopted a vegan diet, which he believed was key to his longevity. He found ways to obtain necessary nutrients like vitamin B12 and protein from plant-based sources. A vegan diet is associated with lower rates of heart disease, blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. Dr. Wham's vegan lifestyle was inspired by longevity experts like Dr. Caldwell Esselston. He also lived in Loma Linda, one of the five blue zones in the world where people tend to live longer due to a healthy lifestyle that includes low meat consumption, high vegetable intake, and a close-knit community.

10:02

🏡 The Loma Linda Effect and Family's Role in Longevity

Dr. Wham's life in Loma Linda, a blue zone with a high concentration of centenarians, played a crucial role in his long life. The community's lifestyle, which includes regular exercise, a low meat and high vegetable diet, and a strong sense of community, contributes to the residents' longevity. Dr. Wham was also surrounded by a loving family, which studies show can reduce the risk of premature death by 50%. His dedication to training others and sharing his knowledge helped ensure that his legacy of health and longevity would continue.

Keywords

💡Exercise

Exercise is highlighted as one of the key factors contributing to Dr. Wham's longevity. Specifically, he engaged in daily low-intensity activities like gardening and stair climbing, which helped him stay physically active even into old age. These activities are tied to improving cardiovascular health, balance, and overall mobility, showcasing the importance of consistent, moderate physical movement.

💡Diet

Diet plays a critical role in Dr. Wham’s lifestyle. He made specific choices, such as reducing sugar and salt intake, eliminating animal fat, and adopting a vegan diet. These dietary habits are connected to lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease, and promoting overall health, reflecting how a conscious, plant-based diet contributes to longevity.

💡Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is the only supplement Dr. Wham took to maintain his health, especially after becoming vegan. This vitamin is essential for red blood cell formation and cognitive function. Its mention emphasizes the need for careful nutritional supplementation when following a vegan diet to prevent deficiencies that could affect brain function and bone health.

💡Animal Fat

Dr. Wham's avoidance of animal fat is another key to his longevity. The script discusses how saturated fats, commonly found in animal products, can increase LDL cholesterol and lead to heart disease. His choice to exclude animal fats from his diet reflects a broader theme of managing dietary intake to prevent cardiovascular problems.

💡Vegan Diet

The vegan diet is a central concept in Dr. Wham’s approach to health and longevity. He followed this plant-based diet for half of his life, which helped him maintain a healthy cholesterol level and avoid heart disease. The vegan diet is presented as an effective way to extend life expectancy by reducing the intake of harmful animal fats and cholesterol-raising proteins.

💡Stress Management

Stress management is a critical part of Dr. Wham's lifestyle. His calm approach to life and ability to avoid unnecessary worry helped him maintain mental and emotional balance, which is linked to longevity. Managing stress is portrayed as essential for reducing the risk of health issues such as heart disease, anxiety, and depression.

💡Loma Linda

Loma Linda is a 'Blue Zone' where people live longer than average, and Dr. Wham spent much of his life there. The community's lifestyle, which includes a vegetarian diet, regular exercise, and a close-knit social structure, contributes to their extended life expectancy. Loma Linda’s significance in the video highlights the impact of environment and community on longevity.

💡Cholesterol

Cholesterol management is a recurring theme in the script, with Dr. Wham emphasizing the importance of keeping cholesterol under control to prevent heart attacks. By reducing his intake of sugar, salt, and animal fat, and adopting a vegan diet, he maintained a low cholesterol level, demonstrating the link between cholesterol management and heart health.

💡Attitude to Life

Dr. Wham's positive and calm attitude toward life is identified as one of the keys to his longevity. His ability to remain relaxed in high-pressure situations, including his career as a heart surgeon, helped him avoid chronic stress. This mindset illustrates the power of mental resilience in maintaining long-term health and wellbeing.

💡Community and Family

Being part of a supportive community and maintaining strong family connections are presented as vital for longevity. Dr. Wham’s life in Loma Linda and his close relationships with family members reflect how social bonds can enhance emotional health and reduce the risk of premature death, underscoring the importance of social support systems.

Highlights

Dr. Ellsworth Wham, a 104-year-old cardiac surgeon, worked until the age of 96 and shared seven key lifestyle and diet secrets for longevity.

Dr. Wham was one of the first surgeons to practice open-heart surgery, performing over 12,000 operations and working until his mid-90s.

Dr. Wham believed daily physical activity, including gardening and climbing stairs, was crucial for maintaining health into old age.

Cutting down on sugar and salt intake is essential for lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease, according to Dr. Wham.

Vitamin B12 was the only supplement Dr. Wham used, especially important after he transitioned to a fully vegan diet.

Dr. Wham eliminated all animal fats from his diet, recommending unsaturated fats instead to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Maintaining a calm attitude and managing stress effectively was one of Dr. Wham's key approaches to life and longevity.

A vegan diet, followed by Dr. Wham for half his life, is linked to lower rates of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Dr. Wham emphasized the importance of cutting out both animal fats and proteins, as both can raise cholesterol levels.

Climbing stairs regularly and doing physical tasks like mowing the lawn helped Dr. Wham stay active and maintain his physical health.

Dr. Wham's calm approach to problems in life, along with not worrying about uncontrollable issues, contributed significantly to his longevity.

He admired other longevity experts and incorporated their advice into his own lifestyle, including Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's research.

Loma Linda, a 'Blue Zone' with one of the highest concentrations of centenarians, was home to Dr. Wham and contributed to his long life.

Strong family relationships and living in a close-knit community in Loma Linda played a significant role in Dr. Wham's longevity.

Loma Linda's focus on a plant-based diet and low consumption of red meat was part of the community's overall healthy lifestyle.

Transcripts

people are very sensitive about what

they eat I'm going to be 100 years old

so that's attracting some attention

because I'm going to be 100 years old Dr

Ellsworth Wham was an extraordinary

104-year-old cardiac surgeon who worked

up until he was 96 and revealed the real

reason why some people live for 100

years and others don't and it may all

come down to seven lifestyle and diet

secrets that may soon be lost to time we

have a lot of information in this

country which is not being applied which

would greatly reduce the incidence we

have of coronary disease today we will

unveil the secrets that Dr Wham used to

live such a long and fulfilling life so

that his infinite wisdom can live on

forever make sure you don't miss any of

them but what makes Dr Wham such a

highly trusted Authority throughout his

life Dr Wham was a remarkable

inspiration and loved by many he was one

of the earliest surgeons in the world to

practice open heart surgeries and

through his groundbreaking work he saved

countless lives as he performed over

12,000 operations and worked full of

energy until he turned

96 in 1963 he formed the overseas heart

surgery team at lomalinda University at

a special request by the US vice

president all those children needed

heart surgery and nobody can do it he

and his team devoted years to traveling

around the world performing open heart

surgeries in countries where they were

never done

before key one

exercise most people who met Dr waram

throughout his lifetime were in complete

awe of his physical strength and Agility

but how did he keep his body so young

for him it was all about a specific type

of daily exercise you know I don't have

any

trouble with my joints my hands are

steady uh my balance is good you know I

don't have any trouble with my balance I

don't have to walk with a cane or

anything like that so I'm basically no

different than what I was 50 years ago

even on his 100th birthday he started

his morning in an active way try to be

active by working around

my yard doing my uh pruning of my bushes

and I mow my own law

this low intensity daily activity

routine has kept his physical body

mobile and active even after a century

the National Institute of Health states

that gardening preserves strength and

Agility while also increasing vitamin D

levels from sunlight also mowing as Dr

Wham did effectively burns calories he

spent about 10 hours a week working in

his garden Dr Wham also believed that

climbing stairs can keep your body

active and he did that without the need

for a walking stick if you climb a

flight of stairs 20 times a week now

that's only three times a day you get me

it's pretty hard to live in a two-story

house and not climb a flight of stairs

three times a day that you will reduce

your incidence of dying of heart disease

by 46% the center of Health protection

says climbing stairs easily adds

exercise to your routine it boosts heart

and lung function circulation resistance

to coronary disease strengthens bones

and muscles and burns fat with these

workouts it is no surpris that he was

able to drive his car even at the age of

100 but is exercise simply enough to

prolong your

life key to sugar and salt intake Dr

waren believed that if you truly want a

fit and healthy body you need to pay

attention to what you eat this is why

the second key to Dr wham's longevity

was his decision to cut down on his

sugar and salt intake high intake of

sugar will affect your cholesterol if

you are successful in bringing down your

salt and sugar intake you will be able

to lower your cholesterol level if your

cholesterol is under

1040 very very seldom that anybody has a

heart attack who has a cholesterol of

140 that is not all the World Health

Organization ass that reducing your

sugar consumption can lower the risk of

obesity and

diabetes similarly reducing your salt

intake can also lower blood pressure and

the risk of cardiovascular

diseases key three vitamin

B12 Dr Wham up until the very end only

needed one supplement vitamin

B12 and that became his third key to a

healthy and fulfilling life I could get

by by taking a little vitamin

B12 why of course I then became entirely

vegan according to PubMed Central

vitamin B12 helps in red blood cell

formation and reduces the risk of anemia

it also supports your bone health which

is especially important in old age one

study on PubMed Central showed that

people with lower levels of vitamin B12

are at a greater risk of developing

dementia

if you gave me something to memorize I

would memorize it just as quickly now as

I would uh when I was 20 it is no wonder

that Dr Wham was still performing High

Press heart surgeries even at the age of

95 his sharp mind and strong body stayed

with him until the very end key four

animal fat the fourth key to Dr wham's

longevity was his decision to completely

cut out animal fat from his

diet you have to avoid the animal fats

Harvard Health warns that animal fats

and saturated fats can boost LDL

cholesterol and clog arteries upping

heart disease risk keep these fats under

10% of your diet swap them with

unsaturated or monosaturated fats to cut

heart disease risk but for Dr Wham your

outlook on life plays a big role as well

key five

attitude to life this is why the fifth

golden key that helped Dr waram live for

a 100 years was his attitude to life I

try to maintain a calm approach to the

problems of life and not worry and fret

over problems that come along with a

lifetime's worth of experience in high

stress surgery rooms Dr Wham has found

the perfect stress management system for

himself s if you wish to achieve

longevity you need to eliminate stress

from your life I have a philosophy you

do the best you can and the things you

can't do anything about don't give any

thought to them according to the Mayo

Clinic chronic prolonged stress can put

you at a greater risk of anxiety

depression heart problems weight gain

and muscle pain but it is not just Dr

wham's calm outlook on life that enabled

him to live such a wonderful fulfilling

life

he constantly looked for ways to make

his lifestyle even healthier it's one

thing to have the theory is another

thing to actually be doing the procedure

he admired his fellow longevity experts

such as Dr Caldwell esselon and

Incorporated their advice and research

findings into his own life Dr wham's

sixth key to longevity was something

even former US President Bill Clinton

adopted outstanding example of a person

who's followed this program is uh our

former president uh Bill Clinton and

this secret key is a vegan diet I happen

to be a

vegan I've been a vegan now for about

half my life according to the National

Institute of Health individuals on a

vegetarian or vegan diet have lower

rates of heart disease blood pressure

obesity and diabetes in fact according

to a study published on Pub Central low

meat intake is linked with increased

longevity now there are those scientists

including Dr Colin Campbell of Cornell

University that say that animal proteins

will also affect your cholesterol not

just the fat in other words you pour off

the cream off your milk and drink the

skin milk even the casine of the milk

will raise your cholesterol still most

people are hesitant to adopt a vegan

diet a lot of people will say well where

do you get your vitamin B12 from and

where do you get your protein from and

all that but we know these days that

that's no problem really to have a real

balanced diet on a vegetarian diet as Dr

wam pointed out there are ways to get

your required vitamin B12 levels and

proteins on a vegan diet vitamin B12 can

be taken as a supplement while foods

such as tofu beans and lentils are

packed with proteins and are excellent

for plant-based

diets key7 Loma Linda and family finally

Dr wham's seventh lost key to a long

life was that specific lifestyle he

adopted while living in Loma Linda

earlier Studies have shown Loma Linda

males live 6 to S years longer than the

average American male and women live

four years longer than the average

American female Dr Wham spent most of

his life in lomalinda which is one of

five rare blue zones in the world with

one of the highest concentrations of

centenarians most senior citizens in

Loma Linda live a similar lifestyle

where they exercise together have a low

meat High vegetable diet and love being

part of a close-knit community in fact

markets rarely ever sell red meat in

lalinda and smoking and alcohol are not

allowed in the city it is no surprise

that Dr waren as a part of this

magnificent Blue Zone led a healthy and

long life of course being surrounded by

a big loving family was also one of the

biggest contributors to Dr wham's

longevity I wouldn't be here if uh

Ellsworth hadn't his life hadn't

unfolded the way it did his terrific

amazing influence on me a study reported

by Harvard Health found that strong and

healthy Rel relationships can lower the

risk of premature death by

50% the greatest contribution that you

can make is to train other people to do

what you do these seven keys will help

you make the right choices in your diet

exercise and mindset until you too would

be able to lead a long healthy and

fulfilling life to learn more about the

secrets to a long life from someone that

also Dr Wham highly respected watch our

video on on Dr Caldwell Elon who breaks

down the golden diet that can prolong

and enrich your life