100 Year-Old Nutrition Professor: 7 Keys to Longevity | Dr. John Scharffenberg

Summary

Dr. John Scharffenberg, at 100 years old, shares his secrets to longevity at TEDxBoston. A vegetarian and avid traveler, he emphasizes the importance of avoiding seven lifestyle risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol, inactivity, and obesity. His talk highlights the preventative power of a healthy lifestyle, advocating for daily exercise, a balanced diet, and the benefits of a vegetarian diet to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases without medication.

Takeaways

• 🎉 Dr. John Scharffenberg, at 100 years old, is an active and accomplished speaker, sharing his insights on longevity and health.
• 📅 His TEDxBoston talk, though not in person, will be shared on October 1st, showcasing his views on a healthy lifestyle.
• 🚶‍♂️ Dr. Scharffenberg emphasizes the importance of daily exercise and its impact on longevity, even for those with health risks.
• 🚫 He highlights seven key lifestyle risk factors to avoid for better health, including tobacco and alcohol consumption.
• 🍽️ A vegetarian diet is suggested as the optimum choice to reduce the risk of diseases like cardiovascular problems.
• 🍦 The script points out the dangers of excessive sugar intake, even in seemingly harmless treats like ice cream.
• 🥩 There's a recommendation to reduce meat and saturated fat intake, aligning with a more plant-based diet.
• 🌍 Dr. Scharffenberg's active travel schedule reflects his belief that travel isn't tiring and can be part of a vibrant lifestyle.
• 🧘‍♂️ The benefits of exercise are underscored, particularly for midlife individuals, as a crucial component of health.
• 🚗 Despite his age, Dr. Scharffenberg maintains independence through activities like driving without GPS to give lectures.
• 🌐 The script calls for a change in medical practices, advocating for better nutrition education among healthcare professionals.

Q & A

Who is Dr. John Scharffenberg?

Dr. John Scharffenberg is a 100-year-old individual who was invited to speak at TEDxBoston on Longevity Day to share his keys to longevity.

What is the significance of Dr. Scharffenberg's age in his TEDx talk?

Dr. Scharffenberg's age is significant as it lends credibility to his talk on longevity, given that he has lived a long life and can share insights from his own experiences.

Why was Dr. Scharffenberg unable to attend TEDxBoston in person?

Dr. Scharffenberg could not attend TEDxBoston in person because he had a prior commitment to lecture in Slovakia, which he has been doing annually for the past 10 years.

What is the main topic of Dr. Scharffenberg's TEDx talk?

The main topic of Dr. Scharffenberg's TEDx talk is the major cause of disease and death in industrialized countries, which is cardiovascular disease, and how it can be prevented with a proper lifestyle.

What is Dr. Scharffenberg's view on the role of diet in longevity?

Dr. Scharffenberg believes that a vegetarian diet is an optimum diet that can help reduce the risk of diseases and contribute to longevity.

How does Dr. Scharffenberg describe his daily routine regarding meals?

Dr. Scharffenberg mentions that he eats breakfast around 6:30 AM and lunch around 12:30 or 1 PM, and then he doesn't eat anymore for the rest of the day.

What is the significance of Dr. Scharffenberg's travel schedule?

Dr. Scharffenberg's travel schedule is significant as it demonstrates his active lifestyle and commitment to educating people worldwide about health and longevity, even at the age of 100.

What is the 'Scharffenberg effect' mentioned in the script?

The 'Scharffenberg effect' is a term used humorously in the script to describe the last-minute successful setup of the filming conditions for Dr. Scharffenberg's talk.

What are the seven lifestyle risk factors mentioned by Dr. Scharffenberg?

The seven lifestyle risk factors mentioned by Dr. Scharffenberg are tobacco use, alcohol consumption, inactivity/lack of exercise, being overweight, too much meat and sugar intake, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

How does Dr. Scharffenberg emphasize the importance of exercise?

Dr. Scharffenberg emphasizes the importance of exercise by stating that even an obese person who exercises daily will live longer than a normal-weight person who doesn't exercise.

What is the main challenge Dr. Scharffenberg sees in promoting a healthy lifestyle?

The main challenge Dr. Scharffenberg sees is getting people to actually follow the recommended lifestyle changes they know they should do, as well as the lack of proper nutrition education among medical professionals.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Dr. John Scharffenberg's TEDx Journey and Secrets to Longevity

Dr. John Scharffenberg, a 100-year-old doctor, was invited to TEDxBoston to share his insights on longevity. Despite his age, he maintains an active lifestyle, traveling internationally for lectures without any assistance. His interview on the channel has garnered millions of views. Dr. Scharffenberg's daily routine includes regular meals and he emphasizes the importance of avoiding seven lifestyle risk factors to prevent cardiovascular disease. He also mentions his vegetarian lifestyle and his impressive travel schedule, which includes annual trips to Slovakia and other countries. The summary highlights his upcoming TEDx talk, filmed at a potluck event, where he received a standing ovation without the need for a microphone.

05:02

🍷 The Risks of Alcohol and the Importance of Exercise

In this paragraph, Dr. Scharffenberg discusses the findings of a study on alcohol consumption, conducted by Dr. Max Griswold, which concluded that any amount of alcohol increases the risk of death. The study was funded by Bill Gates and published in 'The Lancet Journal.' Dr. Scharffenberg also stresses the importance of daily exercise, sharing personal anecdotes and emphasizing its benefits over being lean. He explains that exercise can counteract the negative effects of obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol, and that it is particularly crucial during midlife. The paragraph also touches on the issue of addiction to food and the need to differentiate between psychological cravings and physical addictions.

10:03

🥩 Diet and Health: The Impact of Meat and Sugar Intake

Dr. Scharffenberg addresses the health risks associated with excessive meat and sugar consumption. He shares a case study of a patient with high cholesterol and triglycerides due to a nightly habit of consuming large amounts of ice cream with added sugar. The American Heart Association's recommendations for reducing saturated fat intake are discussed, with a focus on a vegetarian diet as the optimal choice. The paragraph also covers the challenges faced by the medical community in advising patients on diet and exercise, including the limitations of time during consultations and the lack of nutrition education in medical school.

15:03

💊 The Limitations of Medical Advice and the Power of Lifestyle Choices

In the final paragraph, Dr. Scharffenberg highlights the limitations of medical advice, particularly the difficulty in motivating patients to follow prescribed lifestyle changes. He points out the inefficacy of statin drugs for the majority of people and the importance of identifying those who truly need them. The paragraph also criticizes the influence of agriculture and health department leaders on dietary recommendations, advocating for a vegetarian diet as the optimal choice for health. Dr. Scharffenberg concludes by encouraging individuals to take charge of their health through lifestyle choices and to spread awareness in their communities.

Keywords

💡Longevity

Longevity refers to the state of living a long life. In the video's context, it is the central theme as Dr. John Scharffenberg, who is 100 years old, shares his insights on living a long and healthy life. The video discusses his lifestyle habits and experiences that contribute to his longevity, such as his vegetarian diet and regular travel.

💡Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels and is the leading cause of death globally. In the video, Dr. Scharffenberg emphasizes that it is preventable through lifestyle changes, highlighting the importance of addressing this issue for longevity.

💡Lifestyle Risk Factors

Lifestyle risk factors are behaviors or conditions that increase the likelihood of disease or other health problems. The video identifies seven such factors that, when avoided, can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and promote longevity, as explained by Dr. Scharffenberg.

💡Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet is a dietary lifestyle that excludes meat, poultry, and fish. Dr. Scharffenberg has been a vegetarian all his life, and the video suggests that this dietary choice is one of the reasons for his longevity and good health.

💡Exercise

Exercise is any physical activity that helps to improve health and overall fitness. The video stresses the importance of daily exercise as a key component of a healthy lifestyle to prevent diseases and promote longevity, as exemplified by Dr. Scharffenberg's own routine.

💡Overweight

Being overweight refers to having a body mass index (BMI) that is higher than what is considered healthy. The video discusses overweight as a risk factor for various diseases and suggests that even obese individuals can live longer if they exercise regularly.

💡Sugar

Sugar is a sweet, crystalline substance often used as a food additive. In the context of the video, excessive sugar consumption is identified as a risk factor for heart attacks, and Dr. Scharffenberg shares a story about a patient with high cholesterol and triglycerides due to a high sugar intake.

💡Meat Intake

Meat intake refers to the consumption of animal flesh as food. The video mentions that reducing meat consumption can lower the risk of heart disease, and it humorously discusses the resistance to this advice among the American public.

💡Saturated Fat

Saturated fat is a type of fat found in some foods, including animal products, that can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Dr. Scharffenberg advises reducing saturated fat intake as part of a healthy diet.

💡Statins

Statins are a class of drugs that reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood. The video discusses the limited effectiveness of statins for the general population and their potential benefit for those with existing heart disease.

💡Preventive Medicine

Preventive medicine is an approach to healthcare that focuses on preventing the onset of diseases. Dr. Scharffenberg is described as a preventive medicine doctor, and the video's message aligns with this approach by advocating for lifestyle changes to prevent diseases and promote longevity.

Highlights

Dr. John Scharffenberg, at 100 years old, shares his keys to longevity at TEDxBoston.

Dr. Scharffenberg's interview on this channel has over 2.3 million views.

His daily routine includes specific meal times and no eating after lunch.

Despite his age, Dr. Scharffenberg travels internationally for lectures.

He only uses a wheelchair in airports during tight layovers.

Dr. Scharffenberg's adventurous life includes climbing Half Dome in Yosemite at age 80.

He drives long distances without GPS to give lectures and celebrate special occasions.

His 15-minute talk was filmed for TEDxBoston due to his inability to attend in person.

Dr. Scharffenberg received a standing ovation at Chef AJ's potluck.

He emphasizes the preventability of cardiovascular disease through lifestyle changes.

Avoiding seven lifestyle risk factors is crucial for longevity.

Tobacco and alcohol are identified as significant risk factors to avoid.

Inactivity and lack of exercise are linked to increased disease risk.

Exercise is more important during midlife, contrary to common belief.

Overweight increases the risk of almost every known disease.

A vegetarian diet is recommended to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

High sugar intake increases the risk of heart attacks.

Reducing saturated fat intake is key to a healthier diet.

Lifestyle changes can significantly lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes.

The medical community struggles with prescribing lifestyle changes over medication.

The importance of proper nutrition education for medical professionals.

The need for individuals to take initiative in living a healthy lifestyle without relying on doctors' advice.

Transcripts

[John] I'm Dr. John Scharffenberg, 100 years old.

[Michelle] Chris and I invited hundred-year-old

Dr. John Scharffenberg to speak

at TEDxBoston on October 1st Longevity Day,

so he could share his keys to longevity in just 15 minutes.

Dr. Scharffenberg is that giggly guy

we interviewed on this channel.

His interview got about 2.3 million views in under a year.

[John] I eat breakfast about 6:30, and then lunch come 12:30

1, and then I don't eat anymore.

[Michelle] I'd called Dr. Scharffenberg expecting him to say

that he wouldn't be able to travel so far.

He said he wouldn't be able

to make it to Boston at that time,

because he'd be lecturing in Slovakia at that time,

where he's gone annually the past 10 years.

In fact, he'd recently returned from speaking in Madagascar,

about 20 hours of flying in total.

He travels completely alone,

he only uses a wheelchair in the airport

if the time between flights is very short,

like it was when he was laying over in Paris.

He's returning to Madagascar this year to lecture,

then the Czech Republic in September,

and he's in Guam right now to speak.

All that is to say,

Dr. John Scharffenberg is jet setting around the world

to educate people at the sprightly age of 100.

He says traveling isn't tiring at all.

Not surprising for a man who, at age 80,

climbed Half Dome in Yosemite.

We recently visited him

to learn more about his adventurous life.

You'll see more of that coming up on this channel.

By the way, for his 100th birthday,

he drove over three hours to go to a home

to celebrate it with his family,

and he regularly drives that long to give lectures,

all without a GPS.

Since Dr. Scharffenberg couldn't make it in person at TEDx,

we decide to film him giving his 15-minute talk.

We'll show it on October 1st at TEDx,

and you'll see it right here, coming right up.

He delivered this talk at one of Chef AJ's potlucks.

We enjoyed lunch together there,

where he shared that he always gets standing ovations,

and boy, did he get one here, too.

He didn't even need a microphone.

We could all hear him delivering his rousing speech.

Chris and I still aren't sure how the heck we filmed this.

We had so many issues with cameras, lighting, the stage,

all before our star spoke.

Dr. Scharffenberg typically stands while presenting

for over an hour at a time.

We had him sit for this talk,

so he'd get the camera at eye level with him.

At the last minute, somehow everything fell into place.

Must have been the Scharffenberg effect.

(Dr. Scharffenberg laughing)

How does Dr. Scharffenberg stay so healthy and vibrant?

You're about to find out.

(crowd cheering and applauding)

[John] Thank you, everybody.

I'm so happy to be here

and tell you something that's just happened in my lifetime

I never expected to happen in my lifetime.

We now know the major cause of disease and death

in all industrialized countries

is cardiovascular disease that can be prevented

with proper lifestyle without any medicine.

(crowd cheering and applauding)

We just have to avoid seven lifestyle risk factors.

Now, you should know I'm 100 years of age.

It's taken 100 years for all this to happen.

I'm starting on my second hundred years.

I've been a vegetarian all my life,

but there's seven risk factors you must know about,

and I can't be in Boston in October,

'cause I'll be overseas in Czechoslovakia.

I'm going to be in Guam this year, I was in Madagascar once,

I'm going back in July to Madagascar,

and then I'll spend a month in Czech Republic

and month in Slovakia.

So I'm traveling quite a bit by myself.

Everybody asks, "Do you drive a car still?"

Of course I drive a car.

I got a red Toyota Prius.

(crowd clapping)

But the seven risk factors you should know about.

Number one is tobacco.

We've known that for a long time now.

1964, Surgeon General's report,

everybody knows not to smoke.

But did you know that some people,

like people with Alzheimer's disease,

they have less smokers,

'cause they don't get old enough to die

from Alzheimer's disease.

You know, they'd already died before they get Alzheimer's,

so they don't get Alzheimer's.

But alcohol is another risk factor.

Women should know about this particularly,

'cause it has to do with breast cancer, alcohol.

Now, we used to say, "Two drinks a day for men,

"one for women," was probably safe.

But Max Griswold, a doctor in the University of Washington,

did a big study, the biggest ever done,

on 195 countries around the world.

He's a social drinker,

he wanted to know how much is safe to drink.

He got the answer, zero.

Any little bit of alcohol you take

increases your risk of dying from something.

He says he has to review his lifestyle now, too.

His study was funded by Bill Gates,

who has a home just behind the University of Washington.

His article was published in "The Lancet Journal."

So it's tobacco and alcohol

are two risk factors we must avoid.

The next one is inactivity, lack of exercise.

We need to exercise every day, that's very important.

I have outlived my two brothers,

13, 14 years, 17 years.

They're already passed away.

And every year, that's gonna increase another year,

and I'm not gonna die next year,

so it is gonna keep going up.

But exercising is extremely important.

I had a lady who helped me with the PowerPoint lectures.

She was a graphic artist.

She did it for a living, for advertising purposes.

She did a lot of work for me, but she was kind of big.

I mean, big, big, big.

I said to her one day,

"You know, I've gotta talk to you about your weight.

"I'm a preventive medicine doctor, I must talk to you."

Her face fell.

I said, "Do you want the bad news first

"or the good news first?"

She says, "Tell me the bad news first."

"You should understand that overweight increases the risk

"of dying from almost every disease we know.

"But now let me give you the good news.

"Even though you are obese, if you exercise every day,

"you will live longer than the woman who's a normal weight,

"who doesn't exercise."

A man who smokes has hypertension,

has high blood cholesterol.

But if he exercises every day,

he will outlive the man

who doesn't have any of those problems,

who doesn't exercise.

You got that?

To be lean is good only if you exercise,

otherwise it has no advantage.

Exercise is extremely important.

Now, you should know the age at which it's most important.

It's during midlife,

40 to 70 years of life,

that's when you should exercise.

That's when people get more money

to relax and do less exercise and eat more.

They need to turn it around, (laughs)

and exercise more as they get older

and eat less as they get older, okay?

Exercise is extremely important.

The next risk factor, overweight.

We already mentioned a little bit about overweight, okay?

We need to figure out why people are getting so fat.

We have a new idea, they're addicted.

So we can divide the overweight people

into different categories now,

and some are psychologically affected,

they crave something psychologically,

other people, they have a real addiction,

because they're making opiates in their body.

We need to differentiate these three

and treat them in a different manner, okay?

The next big risk factor

was a problem with too much meat

and too much sugar.

Now, sugar, for the first time, we've discovered,

increases heart attack risk.

Too much sugar can heart attack risk.

I remember that Mr. Fischbeck from Redlands,

he went through my program,

his cholesterol and triglycerides were sky high.

It took me a long time to find out his problem.

He wasn't overweight, he wasn't eating a lot of meat.

What was his problem?

I hit the right question.

"Do you like ice cream?"

"Oh yes, I like ice cream."

I said, "Then you mean sometimes, after your meal,

"you'll have a dish of ice cream?"

"Well, it's not quite like that."

"Well, how is it?"

"It's before I go to bed at night.

"Now, the usual bowl isn't big enough.

"I go out to the kitchen and get a mixing bowl,

"and I put in my scoops of ice cream."

"Well, how many scoops do you put in?"

"Well, I'd mashed it up so my wife wouldn't know."

"But you know, how many is it?"

"Well, it's at least three.

"Then I put frozen strawberries on top.

"But you know, they aren't very sweet,

"so I whip sugar into it

"and then I put whipped cream,

"and you know whipped cream isn't sweet either,

"so I whip sugar into the whipped cream."

I said, "How long have you been doing this?"

"Every night for the last six months."

No wonder he was having high cholesterol,

high triglycerides.

Okay, so sugar.

But now the question of cutting down on meat,

that irritated the American public.

They didn't like that, they like their meat!

So what we going to do about that?

The Heart Association changed the recommendation.

Eat more fruits than vegetables.

But really, they meant eat less meat,

but they didn't say it.

So they had another recommendation,

don't eat more than 5 to 6% of your calories

as saturated fat.

Now let me tell you the secret,

that means vegetarian diet. (giggles)

But they didn't use any bad words, vegetarian or meat,

they didn't talk about it, just saturated fat.

Cut down your saturated fat.

That's the animal fat, the dairy fat,

if you're going to use milk,

make sure it's non-fat or 1% fat only.

That's the standard Heart Association recommendation.

So get rid of the pork fat,

the lard, and that sort of thing.

See, animal fat is a big problem.

Now, they added to this,

hypertension, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

But the first five, if you do those,

they keep you from having high blood pressure

and high cholesterol.

I'm so excited about what we know we can do.

We can lower heart attack risk 80%,

the first stroke risk 80%,

diabetes risk, 88%

by lifestyle without any pills, no medicine.

(crowd applauding)

Now it's not just me talking.

The World Health Organization agrees to this.

The American Heart Association promotes it.

The European Cardiology Society agrees to it.

So this is scientific,

but it's hard to get the doctors to agree to it.

Practicing physicians, they have been told for many years,

"If your cholesterol goes up,

"you should take the statin pills."

Any of you heard of the statins?

You know, 24 million Americans in this country

are taking statins to lower their blood cholesterol.

They did a study on life expectancy

and they discovered for 93% of the people,

it didn't help them one bit.

They didn't live any longer

because they took the pills or didn't take the pills.

Didn't make any difference.

For 7% of the people, it did help.

Those were the ones who really had heart disease.

And they lived, they took the pills,

they lived 8 1/3 or 8 1/2 years longer.

So it was worthwhile for those.

Our problem medically is,

we don't know how to tell who has atherosclerosis,

heart attacks, and needs those pills and who doesn't.

We've been going by cholesterol level.

Now in 2015, the US government was advised

by their medical scientists

to tell everybody the optimum diet is a vegetarian diet.

Can you believe it?

The vegetarian diet is an optimum diet.

It'll help reduce the risk of these diseases.

But when it got to the leaders of the agriculture department

and the health department,

they said, "That's too strict."

They added lean meat to that optimum diet.

But the scientists didn't want them to do that,

but they did it.

But the optimum diet is a vegetarian diet.

Everybody should know this.

It's not something unusual.

Everybody needs to know this.

Now, it's exciting that we know what we should do.

Our next breakthrough and is going to be

to get people to do what they know they should do.

That's why we have to have experts helping them

to go ahead and do what they know they should do.

But here, our doctor writes a prescription

to this overweight lady,

you will now exercise one hour every day.

She comes back one month, a little fatter.

"Did you follow my prescription?"

"No."

After they have 100 patients

going through their office like that,

they don't want to continue that nonsense

telling people to do something that they aren't gonna do.

They know they should tell them.

We have another problem.

A group of doctors,

they're practicing in groups now, 20 together.

The leader calls the group together and says, "Now look,

"you've gotta see another patient every 10 minutes,

"or we're not gonna make any money on this."

10 minutes is not long enough to teach anybody anything.

And then a lady comes in and says,

"What shall I eat for breakfast tomorrow morning?"

The doctor thinks,

he hasn't had a good nutrition course in medical school,

so he thinks, "What did my wife feed me this morning?"

(crowd members chucking)

That's crazy.

They need a good medical course,

a nutrition course in medical school.

They don't have it, they need it.

But the exciting thing is,

you and I don't have to wait for the doctor to tell us.

If we live the right lifestyle,

we won't get these heart attacks and the strokes.

So I pray that all of you will live the right lifestyle

and tell your neighbors to do it, too.

(crowd cheering and applauding)

(crowd cheering and applauding)

Thank you, thank you.