Don’t Learn This Too Late: 5 Things Top Heart Surgeon Says You Must Avoid to Live Longer

KEYPOINTS

• 01

  Heartburn that eases when you rest can be a heart warning sign.

  Heart surgeon Dr. Jeremy London, with 25 years of experience, ignored his own symptoms for that reason. It felt like reflux or spicy food disagreeing with him, and it settled when he stopped moving. Mel said she would have assumed the opposite. London's point: chest discomfort that comes with exertion and goes away with rest is a classic red flag, not reassurance.

• 02

  Heart attacks often don't look like the 'TV heart attack.'

  London says symptoms can be an upset stomach, jaw or elbow pain, slight shortness of breath or getting tired easily, not just crushing chest pain down the arm. Pain at rest or pain that keeps getting worse is a 911 call. He says women's symptoms in particular are often atypical, and the medical research has had a male bias for years. As he put it, 'women are not little men.'

• 03

  Smoking is the single most damaging habit, and nicotine of any kind adds risk.

  London says he can't name anything that harms every organ as much as cigarettes. He includes vaping, and says nicotine pouches like Zyn, while likely less harmful and free of the cancer risk from tobacco, still constrict blood vessels and can cause mouth problems. He admitted to having used them himself.

• 04

  Don't drink red wine for your heart.

  London calls alcohol toxic to every cell and recommends limiting or avoiding it. Red grape skins do contain resveratrol, a polyphenol that may make blood cells 'slippery' and widen blood vessels. But he says the amount of wine you'd need for any effect is far beyond what's healthy. Some early human studies on concentrated resveratrol supplements show a possible benefit. His rule: drink red wine if you enjoy it, not because you think it's medicine.

• 05

  Alcohol-based mouthwash may be an overlooked risk.

  London says the gut microbiome starts in the mouth, and harsh alcohol mouthwashes wipe out its bacteria. Mel, who uses mouthwash morning and night and had never checked the label, was surprised. He suggests alcohol-free versions, which he says work just as well.

• 06

  About 80–90% of what we take in from the outside world comes through the mouth, so start with a food journal.

  London says writing down everything you eat shows the easy wins, like 'filler' snacks, empty calories and soft drinks. Mel added that research links food journaling to weight loss. He's realistic: about 80% whole foods and 20% processed counts as a win, and holidays happen.

• 07

  'The longer the shelf life, the shorter your life.'

  His shopping rule is to stick to the outside edges of the store and avoid the aisles of canned and jarred goods, which often hide preservatives, coloring and sugar. When you do buy packaged food, read the label and pick the best option.

• 08

  What London eats

  He skips breakfast when he isn't hungry, because he doesn't like eating when his body isn't asking for food. Lunch is greens with protein, 'colorful.' Before a midday workout he has fruit and a handful of nuts, or a smoothie. Dinner is protein front and center with more greens, kept light because he sleeps better that way. He uses intermittent fasting as a tool, not a strict rule.

• 09

  Heart disease is mostly a plumbing problem in three territories.

  The heart is a pump that needs its own oxygen and fuel, delivered by blood vessels on its front, side and back surfaces. Blockages in those vessels are coronary artery disease, the most common problem he still operates on. His own blockage was 99% in the artery at the back of his heart.

• 10

  You can't outrun your genes, but you can move the needle.

  For people whose parents had heart attacks or high blood pressure, London says inherited risk is real and some people are born with high cholesterol or blood pressure. Lifestyle and treatment can still meaningfully change those numbers, which is why he pushes people to know their numbers rather than give up.