Cardiologist with 20 years of experience shares 3 daily routines he prioritises to avoid the No. 1 cause of death
Disease rarely appears overnight. More often, it is the result of small, everyday habits quietly compounding over years – shaping how the body functions long before any symptoms show up. While emergencies may grab attention, the real drivers of disease risk lie in daily routines that steadily tip the balance towards or away from long-term health. This slow, almost invisible buildup is especially true for heart disease, where what you do consistently matters far more than what you do occasionally.
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Sanjay Bhojraj, an interventional cardiologist and functional medicine expert with over 20 years of experience, has revealed the world’s leading cause of death – heart disease – and explained how simple, consistent daily habits can significantly reduce your risk. In an Instagram video shared on January 28, the cardiologist highlights, “If I were to avoid the No. 1 cause of death, I’d start with these three things.”
The No. 1 cause of death
According to Dr Bhojraj, being healthy “on paper” is not enough – even people who appear to be doing everything right can still go on to develop heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide.
He recounts, “Years ago, I was a cardiologist doing what most doctors do – working long days, following guidelines, and assuming that if patients showed up “on paper” as healthy, they’d be fine. I was living a normal life, treating heart disease the way we’re trained to treat it. That held up…until patients doing ‘everything right’ still developed heart disease. ”
The cardiologist emphasises that the leading cause of death is rarely a sudden emergency, but rather the slow, silent progression of cardiovascular disease – a condition that often develops quietly without dramatic warning signs.
He explains, “No dramatic warning signs. No sudden collapse. Just slow, silent progression…until it wasn’t silent anymore. The No. 1 cause of death isn’t driven by emergencies. And most people don’t realise that heart disease has remained the leading cause of death here for more than a century and still accounts for roughly one out of every three deaths.”
Prevention
Dr Bhojraj points out that heart disease progresses through everyday physiological processes, which is why he began prioritising the following daily habits:
Sleep
Getting at least seven hours of sleep daily should be a top priority in cardiovascular disease prevention since, as Dr Bhojraj explains, “poor sleep keeps blood pressure, inflammation, and stress hormones elevated.”
Movement
Regular physical activity keeps the heart strong and efficient, significantly lowering the risk of developing heart disease over time. The cardiologist explains, “Because your heart is a muscle, and it weakens quickly without regular use.”
Metabolic health
Metabolic health is closely intertwined with cardiovascular health – when one begins to falter, the other gradually accumulates damage, compounding the risk of disease over time. Dr Bhojraj highlights the importance of keeping your metabolic health in check “because insulin resistance quietly damages blood vessels long before symptoms appear.”
The cardiologist stresses that lab numbers alone don’t always tell the full story – the real indicators of heart health lie in how strong and fit you feel, and in the consistency of your everyday habits.
He concludes, “This realisation changed how I practised medicine and how I lived. I stopped chasing extremes and started focusing on the fundamentals that actually move cardiovascular risk. Which led me to today, where I help patients lower their real risk, not just their lab numbers and feel stronger, clearer, and more energised in the process.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
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