Heart surgeon lists things to avoid for a healthy heart and your daily mouthwash is on it too!

A cardiovascular surgeon, after 25 years in his career, shared a list of top things to avoid for heart health. He explained how they affect your heart.

Cardiovascular diseases are a pressing health concern. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 17.9 million deaths each year. The staggering figure is a reminder to adopt informed and healthy lifestyle choices to maintain good heart health. Dr. Jeremy London, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon at St. Josephs/Candler Physician Network in US, took to Instagram to share the things he avoids for a healthy heart. He provided expert insights into how these things negatively impact and worsen heart health.

Mouthwash

Mouthwash may look innocuous and serve to freshen your mouth, but it does much worse. Dr. London pointed out that alcohol-based mouthwash, in particular, does more harm than good. While it washes the mouth, it disrupts the balance of gut health.

He explained that the mouth has good bacteria, which are linked to gut health. When mouthwash cleanses these bacteria, it throws gut health out of balance. Additionally, the mouth bacteria produce nitric oxide, which maintains and regulates blood pressure. By eliminating the mouth bacteria with mouthwash, high blood pressure or hypertension can worsen.

Smoking and vaping

Dr. London believed that smoking is a big health hazard. He said, “Smoking is the single worst thing you can do for yourself.” Smoking directly damages the inner lining of blood vessels. It significantly increases the risk of blockages in the heart and atherosclerosis, which is the build-up of fat, and cholesterol in the artery walls. Smoking is so severely damaging that it can cause cancer.

Processed Food

Already infamous for its lethally damaging effects on the body, Dr. London reiterated the immediate need to limit or remove processed food from one’s diet. He reminded us that food is meant to be nutritious, as it provides essential energy to the cells, and that one should be careful about their diet. He said, “You are what you eat, literally.”

Alcohol

‘Happy hours’ may be a reason to be tipsy, but not enough to subject your body to the cruel consequences of drinking. Even small to moderate alcohol use is adverse for the body. He further explained how the alcohol breakdown process occurs in the body. Alcohol is primarily broken down into two compounds, acetyl aldehyde and acetate. Acetyl aldehyde is extremely toxic to every cell of the body. Acetate has no calories and is devoid of any nutritional value.