Doctor explains risks of the ‘single worst thing you can do to your body’
This habit could undo all of the hard work from the rest of your health journey
A health expert has opened up on something which most people do everyday, which can be detrimental to your long-term health.
In the age of social media, it seems like everyone is an expert on health and wellbeing, with people urging their followers to try extreme diets or lifestyles.
Couple this with the fact that people than ever before are using GLP-1 injections in efforts to lose weight, and while they may not be the most traditional methods to hit your fitness goals, it seems like the world is on a fitness kick.
This is despite the fact that many of these methods can lead to some potentially grim side effects - but according to a doctor, there's one habit which could cause the rest of your work to mean nothing.
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Dr Jeremy London, who has over 378,000 subscribers on YouTube, explained that it's smoking that is the single worst thing you can do to the human body.
While drinking a glass of red wine could be good for the antioxidants, there are no redeeming health benefits when it comes to smoking.
The cardiovascular surgeon explained in a video last year: "Top three preventable risk factors for all-cause mortality. Smoking, poor diet, and high blood pressure. Now, let's start with the worst offender, smoking.
"It is without question the single worst thing you can do for your body. It damages nearly every organ system, increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and is responsible for the vast majority of lung cancer deaths."
He further stated: "Roughly one in five deaths are linked to tobacco use. If you smoke, think long and hard about quitting. It's the most powerful step you can take for your health."
Dr London added that a poor diet and high blood pressure could also cut your life short, adding: "Diets low in fruits and vegetables, high in trans fats, and ultraprocessed foods contribute to the same proportion of deaths as smoking, mainly from cardiovascular disease."
He added that high blood pressure is 'the silent killer', affecting every other American while most have no idea.
"The good news is it's highly modifiable through lifestyle, diet, stress management, and medication when necessary. Be proactive, not reactive," he said of the health condition.
Health effects of smoking
The NHS list a number of health risks that are heightened due to the habit, which could be more reason to kick smoking for good.
- Dementia
- Damage to your joints
- Digestive issues
- Hearing and vision loss
- High blood pressure
Joshua Nair