CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta Highlights Aging and Longevity

CNN’s “Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta” monthly program is airing a show devoted to healthy aging and greater longevity that features the Loma Linda University Health community and its long-running and leading research, programs, and leaders. The 30-minute program, which is being broadcast on the CNN International channel worldwide during the month of February, addresses the universal question, “What can one do to live a healthier, happier, and longer life?” Loma Linda University Health has a tradition of focusing on that question and earnestly seeking answers. The organization and its people are great resources on a number of health related issues, including issues related to aging and longevity. They are available as interviewees and for a variety of potential feature stories. In the show, Dr. Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, focuses on the commonalities within the world’s five “Blue Zones,” which author and explorer Dan Buettner has identified as areas where residents live the longest. Loma Linda is the only Blue Zone in the United States. Loma Linda University Health also has the distinction of engaging in the world’s longest running research studies on aging and longevity. The studies are collectively called the Adventist Health Studies, which are cited in the show. The setting for the opening portion of the show is Loma Linda, and interviewees mention the key factors of healthy living, such as maintaining a plant-based diet, regular exercise, rest and relaxation, and having close social connections. The importance of a sense of mission is also mentioned. Loma Linda University Health President Dr. Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, is interviewed saying that one of the key factors is “having a purpose in what you are doing.” The CNN show is posted online and can be accessed here: http://www.cnn.com/specials/health/vital-signs Loma Linda University Health has a strong mission and purpose, and its two main goals are: To share the health, well-being, and wholeness lifestyle with its community and the world. (Wholeness is an integrated health lifestyle that includes mind, body, and spirit.) To have a lasting impact on the health and wellness of its community and the world. (Loma Linda University Health graduates deeply share these goals and the institution’s mission. In a 2014 national survey by PayScale, more Loma Linda University Health alumni believed that their “work was making the world a better place” than any other undergraduate or graduate school in the nation, sentiments that are consistent with Dr. Hart’s CNN quote about the value of “having a purpose in what you are doing.”) As a Seventh-day Adventist Christian health sciences institution, Loma Linda University Health has a long history and embrace of wholeness, and it has led the way for over a century in educating others about the benefits of healthy eating and an active lifestyle. Loma Linda University Health’s motto is “to make man whole.” Loma Linda University Health remains focused on its wholeness mission and programs. For example, on March 9-11, the institution is hosting its 42nd Annual “Healthy People in Healthy Communities” conference, during which experts will reveal the latest findings on whole health, healthy aging, and greater longevity. The institution is also establishing a Wholeness Institute as part of Loma Linda University Health’s Vision 2020 campaign, which is raising private funds that will be invested into the organization to ensure its ongoing strength. Loma Linda University Health’s activities are relevant, interesting, and timely: The organization offers prescriptions. It finds and shares solutions. Serves as a model that can be replicated. Its activities lead to the more widespread adoption of better lifestyle practices and public policies. Welcomes partnerships with others who are willing to contribute their resources so that Loma Linda University Health can continue to help others. Loma Linda University Health has many distinguished leaders and specialists who can convey knowledge, insights, and inspiration to a multitude of audiences. The institution and its people are great resources on a number of health related issues, including issues related to aging and longevity. As they were for CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Loma Linda University Health executives and staff are available as interviewees and for a variety of potential feature stories.