Heart surgeon reveals the things you should ‘absolutely avoid’ that will ‘actively poison’ your body

A cardiovascular surgeon has shared the six things he avoids to try and keep his heart healthy.

Heart and circulatory diseases worryingly cause a quarter of all deaths in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF). That equates to 'more than 170,000 deaths each year'.

“Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as ischaemic heart disease, is the most common type of heart disease,” the BHF explains.

“It is the most common cause of heart attack and was the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide in 2019.”

Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified heart doctor, sees first hand how the disease can impact people's lives on a daily basis.

The Georgia-based surgeon, who operates on diseased hearts, also repairs damaged blood vessels and performs bypass surgery on his patients.

Heart surgeon Dr Jeremy London has revealed the six things he avoids for his health (Getty Stock Image)

He told TODAY.com that heart disease 'didn’t happen overnight in most people' and that six unhealthy habits can 'put yourself at risk that you’re going to end up on my operating room table'.

Here are the six things he avoids:

Smoking and vaping

The heart doctor said that smoking is 'the worst thing you can do for yourself' and are especially worse for certain people.

“If you already have a history of heart disease and have a propensity to atherosclerosis, it actually accelerates that process exponentially,” he warned.

Meanwhile, he also shared his concern around vaping as research shows that vapers have 'worrisome changes' in their heart and blood vessel function.

Alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption can be bad for your heart health (Getty Stock Image)

Dr London quit booze three years ago and says it's one of the most transformative things he's ever done.

“Alcohol is toxic to every cell in your body,” he said. “I think that alcohol is going to be the new cigarette smoking.”

“Whether it’s one drink a week or one drink a night, you are still making a choice to put a toxic substance into your body,” the professional added. “That being said, it is an individual choice. People have to make good decisions for themselves. It’s your body, your rules.”

Soft drinks

“I think that soft drinks are just a scourge in our society, and so I was really trying to get some attention,” he added.

“Obviously, high-calorie soft drinks and ingesting a lot of calories that people don’t realise they’re getting with the sugar-based soft drinks is a big no-no.”

Alcohol-based mouthwash

Alcohol-free mouthwash is preferred, Dr London says (Getty Stock Image)

“You can actually increase your blood pressure simply by killing the bacteria in the mouth,” Dr London explained.

“And if you have a propensity to having high blood pressure, that can even be worse.”

Foods made with refined flour

Foods like white bread and pasta are made with refined flour, which basically means that it's gone through a process that gets rid of healthy dietary fibre, iron and many B vitamins.

Dr London suggests opting for whole grain options that still contain nutrients important for heart health.

Ultra-processed food

“The longer the shelf life, the shorter your life,” London said. “Limit those things as much as you possibly are able.”

He suggests eating 'whole foods' and one-ingredient items that are very minimally processed.

Processed food can also lead to an increased risk of bowel cancer, promoting unhealthy gut health.