vitamin D is a very important vitamin so many of our people are deficient in vitamin D more people are deficient in B12 than we ever thought meet Dr John scharfenberg this is Dr John scharfenberg professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University I'm in my 100th year at the age of 100 he is still an active physician nutritionist and professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University get ready to be inspired as he still generously shares his knowledge to help you to lead healthier lives did you know that a majority of Americans are deficient in certain vitamins
stay till the end to find out three of those vitamins and how you can remedy such deficiency in Dr scharfenberg's own words first let's explore three secrets on how Dr scharfenberg stays healthy while being an active centenarian exercise exercise I think that's extremely important if a woman is obese but she exercises every day she will outlive the normal weight woman who doesn't exercise Dr scharfenberg emphasizes on the importance of exercise to Health and Longevity he emphasizes that it is particularly important for the middle age to keep up with daily exercise exercise in mid age is
the most important time you exercise in that age group might reduce your risk of Alzheimer's at age 100 Dr scharfenberg has cut down a lot of exercises but he states that he continues to walk walking at least two miles a day is recommended as an older adult regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health it can prevent or delay many of the health problems that seem to come with age it also helps your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming dependent on
others for every R you exercise you will live three hours longer diet as a member of Seventh-day Adventist Church Dr scharfenberg does not smoke or drink and he is a vegetarian while it is not strictly mandatory to be vegetarian many Adventists choose to enjoy an entirely plant-based diet did you know that Loma Linda in California where Dr scharfenberg is from is one of the fifth known Blue zone areas in the world blue zones are areas around the world in which the population is known to live longer than average many people who live in blue zones
such as Loma Linda Okinawa Japan Sardinia Italy nikoya Costa Rica and the Korea Greece live to be at least 100 years old research on the blue zones found that 95 percent of people who live to be at least 108 are mainly plant-based diet that was rich in beans and whole grains what's more it was shown that the Loma Linda Adventists outlive other Americans by about a decade additionally Studies have found that vegetarian Adventists live 1.5 to 2.4 years longer than non-vegetarian Adventists on average why do you think that seven day Adventists live so long in
America I think it's a matter primarily of vegetarianism what foods do Adventists typically eat on a day-to-day basis Adventists kitchen typically consists of five groups of foods legumes these include beans lentils chickpeas and peas they're high in protein fiber and other nutrients I kind of like snow peas whole grains such as brown rice barley and oatmeal Etc they're higher in fiber than refined grains a diet high in whole grains is linked to lower rates of heart disease diabetes and certain cancers nuts eating nuts is part of a healthy diet can cut your risk of having
a heart attack in half if you're in a high risk group nuts are high in calories so you need to limit your portion size pistachios are good fruits and vegetables eat a variety of these every day to get the most benefits they have plant chemicals that can lower your chances of chronic diseases as an Adventist resident of Loma Linda what does Dr scharfenberg specifically eat to maintain his health and sharp mind at his Golden Age soy is a good thing I recommend the you know one of those boxes of one quarter underground 400 gram box
100 grams a day of tofu soybeans soybeans are high in protein and a decent source of both carbs and fat they are a rich source of various vitamins minerals and beneficial plant compounds such as isoflavones for this reason regular soybean intake May alleviate the symptoms of menopause and reduce your risk of prostate and breast cancer however they can cause digestive problems and suppress thyroid function in predisposed individuals top fruits he eats mangoes Dr scharfenberg loves fruits four fruits he enjoys mango being the king of fruits mango is revered in many countries where it's grown mango
similar to leafy greens like spinach broccoli kale and bright yellow slash red foods like tomatoes peppers and egg yolks are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin which may help to reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases polyphenols and mangoes may also help to prevent the growth of certain breast and colon cancer cells according to a study in 2010 mangoes are a great source of vitamin B6 which many seniors aren't getting enough of for Optimal Health vitamin B6 is important for maintaining brain functions just a half cup of raw mango provides 10 percent of the vitamin B6
we need every day there are three other vitamins that Dr scharfenberg highlighted as often being deficient in seniors let's find out what they are and how we can remedy that to live a healthy long life vitamin A about 45 percent of Americans don't get an adequate amount of vitamin A around the world about 127 million children and 7 million pregnant women are vitamin A deficient deficiency in this vitamin can increase your risk of infection blindness and even death vitamin A is essential in the replacement of skin cells and for maintaining optimal vision and a healthy
immune system for this reason those with a vitamin A deficiency are at an increased risk of acquiring a severe infection as children are prone to infections it's crucial that those under the age of five get enough vitamin A in their diets or through supplements in adults one of the key warning signs of a vitamin A deficiency is night blindness you drive at night yes had cataracts removed they put in 2020 lenses so I have 20 20 Vision through my glasses away to prevent vitamin A deficiency it is important to eat healthy diets beta-carotene will make
two vitamin A's with the beta-carotenines from carrots you get the vitamin A beta-carotene would be better than the vitamin A vitamin A increases the risk of osteoporosis beta-carotene does it there's lots of vitamin A or beta-carotene you should say in plant sources the cantaloupe the melon yellow outside yellow insides has a lot of it things are like sweet potato with the dark colored sweet potato that has it vitamin B12 you should know about the New Evidence we have regarding vitamin B12 there's two methods by which vitamin B12 is absorbed one is by the intrinsic factor
which is made in the stomach and down in the ilium the third part of the small intestine it combines with vitamin B12 and you have to have this combination for it to be absorbed as you get older you lose that ability to make that intrinsic factor so above 50 there are many people are deficient even though they're getting a lot of it in their meat diet but there's another method of absorption that is by passive diffusion basically for vegetarians or for seniors who find it hard to absorb vitamin B12 it is best to take supplements
vitamin D more than 50 percent of the general population is vitamin D deficient regardless of age it gets worse with age approximately seventy percent of elderly Americans are vitamin D deficient in some studies they found that as many as 95 percent of American adults have vitamin D deficiency everybody living north of say Washington DC or New York City those people are all deficient in vitamin D vitamin D is a very important vitamin we get it primarily from the Sun it hits the skin the cholesterol in the skin it gets converted goes to the liver gets
changed around chemically again goes to the kidneys gets changed again and makes a hormone that we call Vitamin D it is important because it has to do with keeping the bones in good shape we need Vitamin D because it increases the absorption of calcium in the intestines if you have adequate blood levels of vitamin D you may absorb as much as three times more some many of our people are deficient in vitamin D most of the people who come to our hospitals in the U.S maybe 70 percent are deficient in vitamin D the blood vitamin
D level came up and the blood pressure came down so it was helpful for blood pressure we think it may in some cases decrease the risk of certain cancers so that's why we think people should have vitamin D but you can get too much vitamin D and get skin cancer however geography and seasons can impact vitamin D absorption and in many places in the world the UVB content of the sun's Rays is not significant enough to stimulate vitamin D production so old people aren't getting it they have to take a supplement as we explore Dr
scharfenberg's secrets to longevity incorporating a lot of vegetables and fruits into our diet is important but as evidenced by the lifestyle of Seventh-day Adventist it is not just foods that matter but the overall healthy lifestyle shunning away from harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol and engaging in exercises and Community work
