Cardiovascular surgeon with 25 years of experience rates top 7 health trends on scale of 1 to 10: Carnivore diet, sauna

Dr Jeremy London, a seasoned cardiovascular surgeon, shares his top and bottom health trend picks for optimal health and longevity.

The carnivore diet is precisely what it sounds like: eating only animal products, primarily meat. The extreme diet cuts out all plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It's attracted followers who claim it offers a range of benefits, from rapid weight loss to diabetes reversal. But is it actually healthy?

In an October 14 Instagram post, titled 'Heart surgeon ranks health trends 1-10', Dr Jeremy London, a cardiovascular surgeon trained at the Medical College of Georgia, St Joseph's Hospital in Denver, and Carolinas Medical Centre in North Carolina, rated several popular health trends, including the carnivore diet, on a scale of one to 10, based on their benefits for health and longevity.

In the video he posted, Dr London ranked the carnivore diet low overall but acknowledged it as potentially highly effective for certain individuals. Moreover, Dr London, who has 25 years of experience as a heart surgeon, strongly endorsed not drinking alcohol, calling it a transformative decision due to alcohol's toxicity to every cell. The surgeon also gave cold plunging a low score from a data standpoint, but personally ranked it highly.

Conversely, Dr London gave a perfect score of 10 to many activities, citing strong evidence supporting the cardioprotective and neuroprotective benefits of sauna use and the importance of strength training as the 'organ of longevity'. Walking and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or sprinting also received a 10 for promoting daily movement and improving cardiovascular efficiency, respectively.

Here's a look at his ranking:

Dr Jeremy London ranked various health trends based on their benefits for health and longevity. Here's a summary of his rankings. (Made using Gemini AI)

Sauna 10/10

Dr London said, “The burden of data from a cardioprotective and neuroprotective benefit is unbelievably strong.”

Cold plunging 3/10 or 4/10

He said, “For myself, I would give it a 10 because it makes my body feel great. It's a great way to start the day. From a data standpoint, it's probably a three or four.”

Strength training 10/10

Dr London said: “No doubt, muscle is the organ of longevity. It helps with functional fitness stability as well as serum glucose control.”

Carnivore diet 3/10 or 4/10

“I have to give that one a three or four overall, but the bottom line is we all have our own instruction manuals, and if carnivore works for you, it may be a 10,” Dr London said.

Walking 10/10

Dr London said, “Move every day.”

Sprinting and high-intensity interval training 10/10

“It's really important to get your heart rate up several times a week to change your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise) or your cardiovascular efficiency and sprinting and pushing yourself will accomplish that,” he added.

Not drinking alcohol 10/10

“We know that alcohol is toxic to every cell in the body. For me personally, it's probably been the most transformative decision I've made as an adult to remove alcohol from my life,” Dr London said.

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.