6 Simple Rules for a Long, Healthy Life w/ Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Medicine

4.6 • 8.7K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 85 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Wellness can feel complicated, but most of what matters for long, healthy living is surprisingly simple. In this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with my longtime friend Dr. Ezekiel “Zeke” Emanuel—oncologist, bioethicist, and author of Eat Your Ice Cream—to explore six core principles that support longevity, from food and movement to social connection and purpose. Zeke shares what we’re getting wrong about wellness, why community matters more than we think, and how small choices can reshape both our health and our healthcare system. Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss: • Why simple habits outperform extreme biohacks—and how to build them into daily life • How social connection protects your health as powerfully as diet and exercise • What to eat for longevity without tracking, restricting, or following trends • How movement, strength, and flexibility each support long-term health and function • What actually improves sleep when you can’t “try harder” to rest Longevity isn’t about obsession. It’s about balance, community, and simple choices. The basics still work, and they matter more than ever. View Show Notes From This Episode Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Results https://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley, Timeline, Function Health, AirDoctor and BON CHARGE. Get nutrient-dense, whole foods. Head to paleovalley.com/hyman for 15% off your first purchase. Support essential mitochondrial health and save 20% on Mitopure. Visit timeline.com/drhyman to get 20% off today. Join today at functionhealth.com/mark and use code MARK2026 to get $50 OFF toward your membership. Get cleaner air. Right now, you can get up to $300 off at airdoctorpro.com/drhyman. This holiday season get 25% off until December 31st. Head to boncharge.com to receive this offer today! (0:00) Introduction to the loneliness epidemic and wellness book critiques (0:39) Introduction of Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel and his book "Eat Your Ice Cream" (3:18) Dr. Emanuel's inspiration and contributions to food policy (5:20) Challenges and critiques in the wellness industry (7:01) The role of social relationships in health and longevity (10:11) Simplifying wellness and lessons from longevity hotspots (13:32) The obsessive focus on wellness and finding balance (15:32) Dietary impacts on wellness and combating loneliness (23:53) Strategies for building social connections and community (30:17) Insights from the Harvard Adult Development Study and other research (36:24) The role of food in health and the impact of cooking skills (47:18) The importance of home economics in health education (51:32) Addressing the health effects of ultra-processed foods (57:04) The significance of exercise, sleep, and preventive health measures (1:08:31) Meaning, purpose, and the importance of staying engaged (1:15:15) Creative rejuvenation and health care system challenges (1:18:00) Closing remarks and recommendations

Transcript

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0:00.0	Loneliness is an epidemic. Our former surgeon general wrote hold treatise on it. It's like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.
0:05.9	I read one of the books on wellness and it made me pissed off beyond belief.
0:12.0	Part of what bothered me about a lot of these wellness books is the sort of narcissism of them.
0:17.7	You know, it's about me living a long time. If you want to both be healthy and live
0:22.0	along and happy life, it's about purpose engaging with other people and engaging your mind.
0:27.7	The people are talking about wellness today and longevity and pursuing it obsessively,
0:32.7	it consumes their life. It's the total focus, and that's not good for the body.
0:39.5	Ezekiel Emanuel, MD PhD is the Vice Provost for Global Incentives, and the Diane S. Levy and Robert
0:46.0	M. Levy University professor at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a leading oncologist,
0:51.2	bioethicist, and health policy expert. He's a key architect of the Affordable
0:54.8	Care Act, and he authored over 350 publications in 15 books, and he advises the World Health
1:00.4	Organization, and he frequently contributes to major media outlets on health and policy issues.
1:05.0	The first thing is social life is critically important. One of the reasons we have a loneliness
1:10.5	epidemic is because we're not
1:12.0	interacting. Social media is not helping. And we have a lot of forces pushing us to be isolated.
1:17.8	The number one thing for a long and happy life is social relations and robust social relations.
1:25.6	And the last thing is you got to stay mentally engaged.
1:28.5	You've got to be mentally on it.
1:30.7	Be curious about the world.
1:32.1	You've got to have purpose.
1:33.3	If you have meaning and purpose, you live an average of seven years longer.
1:43.6	Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body.
	...

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