Heart surgeon says avoid four common things to reduce risk of cancer, heart attack or a stroke

A heart surgeon has revealed the four things he never consumes in order to reduce his risk of heart disease and cancer.

In the UK alone, heart and circulatory diseases are responsible for a quarter of all deaths, as reported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Numbers-wise, this means heart disease causes 'more than 170,000 deaths each year' in Britain.

The BHF also noted it 'was the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide in 2019'.

Over on his TikTok page, cardiac surgeon Dr. Jeremy London (@drjeremylondon) has shared what preventative measures are out there and what he tends to not do on a regular basis to ensure good heart health.

Smoking

The doctor says smoking is the 'single worst thing you can do for your entire body'.

"[It] destroys your lungs, causes lung cancer, high cardiovascular risks, heart attacks and strokes. Don't smoke," he said in a TikTok video.

Smoking happens to be the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the UK.

Drinking alcohol

Dr London says he's cut out the booze completely and he doesn't regret it.

"Alcohol. Hate to break it to you, toxic," he says. "Toxic to every cell in your body.

"Your body, your rules, you decide for yourself.

"For me, personally, removing alcohol from my life has probably been one of the most transformative decisions I've made as an adult.

"All the cool kids are doing it. Give it a shot."

ONS stats show that, in 2022, the number of deaths related to alcohol in England and Wales reached an all-time high at 7,423.

Consuming soft drinks

Harvard health reports that people who drink more than five sugar-sweetened soft drinks a week may be more likely to have signs of early heart disease compared with people who drink just one.

Without giving much of an explanation on this one, Dr London said: "Soft drinks, liquid death. Just don't drink them. Period. Done."

Avoiding bread and pasta

Dr London said: "Number four, avoid breads and pastas. Avoid the refined flours and wheats. 80 percent of weight control is diet. 20 percent is exercise.

"I guarantee you, you can out eat any exercise that you do. So be conscious about what you're putting in your mouth."

A common cause of heart attacks is having high blood pressure, which is sadly more prominent for obese individuals.

According to the WHO, a body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.