Sir David Attenborough, who recently reflected on his life in a new documentary about the ocean, is celebrating his 99th birthday
British icon Sir David Attenborough is celebrating his 99th birthday on Thursday after sharing a message on reaching “the end of his life” while discussing what he thinks will save the planet. The historian and broadcaster appeared in a new documentary called Ocean: With David Attenborough, where he reflected on his life.
While talking about his sadness over the state of the world’s ecosystems, he said the key to saving the world “is not on land, but at sea”. He said: “When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity. Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true.”
Sir David said the planet is “in such poor health” but added he “would find it hard not to lose hope” if it weren’t for the ocean. He continued: “If we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I’m sure nothing is more important.”
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As the legend celebrates his 99th birthday all while finding ways to save the planet, we take a look at his health woes over the years.
Sir David has been part of our screens for decades and enjoyed a fairly healthy life. However he previously admitted he has concerns about one worrying illness.
The star had a pacemaker fitted in the summer of 2013 and also had both knees replaced in 2015, and revealed that he’s had to make changes to his lifestyle to keep healthy.
In 2017, the documentary maker revealed: “I have certainly changed my diet. Not in a great sort of dramatic way. But I don’t think I’ve eaten red meat for months.
“I do eat cheese, I have to say, and I eat fish. But by and large, I’ve become much more vegetarian over the past few years than I thought I would ever be.”
His change in diet could be key to helping him stay healthy fo longer as studies show plant-based diets help extend life by staving off chronic diseases, while eating too much processed meat and red meat may increase your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer, according to the NHS.
Some meats are high in saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and your risk of coronary heart disease. Despite making a huge change in his diet and having a pacemaker fitted, he still had several concerns about his health.
The star previously opened up about his worried on being hit by a mind-changing condition such as Alzheimer’s. Four years ago, TV presenter Anderson Cooper asked: “What are you most fearful of at this moment?”
Sir David answered: “Becoming helpless and gaga.” In 2017, Sir David admitted he became concerned when he couldn’t remember a word for something while travelling through the Jura Mountains in Switzerland.
“There were these searing yellow fields, and I can’t think of the damn name,” he said. “I wanted to say something about it, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t until we got quite close to Geneva that I thought, of course, oil seed rape [i.e. rapeseed oil].”
During the same chat, he said he was “coming to terms” with the idea his mind could fail him as he ages.
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Source: Mirror
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