Food Triggered Irregular Heart Rhythm?

[mountainsoft]

I started getting PAC's (premature atrial contractions) in 2021. After an ambulance ride to the ER, many blood tests, numerous EKG's, a heart stress test, and twice wearing a heart monitor for three days, I was told all was fine. My heart was in good physical condition, perfectly normal, nothing to worry about, go home.

Unfortunately, I did not FEEL good. Every two or three weeks my heart rhythm would flare up and I would feel week and horrible all day, and exhausted the following day. Some days it was downright scary and I wondered if I would wake up the next day. We rushed to urgent care twice during a couple episodes, only to be told everything was fine again and sent home.

I tried a number of medications, including beta blockers, which did nothing for the PAC's. I eventually landed on Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, which still didn't do much for my heart rhythm, but it lowered my BP without the side effects I experienced with other meds.

I tried all the standard suggestions, take magnesium, reduce stress, avoid alcohol and caffeine, etc. Nothing had any effect whatsoever.

Desperate for some relief I started looking at what I was eating regularly. So I stopped eating my daily banana with breakfast and within 2-3 days my rhythm had mostly returned to normal. I still get the occasional PAC, but I get them much less often, and are usually symptom free now. More of an annoyance than anything.

My doc insisted there was no connection, but months later the results still seem to be working. Since then I have discovered a few other food items like cashews, peanuts, and watermelon all cause the PAC's to flare up. However, as long as I don't eat them constantly or in large quantities they typically don't bother me.

I really haven't been able to find any documentation agreeing with my results, but avoiding bananas has worked better for me than anything else.

 

[badatmath]

Having potassium too low or too high can affect your heart I believe but I would not think a banana would be a big deal. But then some blood pressure meds are potassium sparing - they tell you not to use salt substitute on them. Are your blood levels normal?

And is your kidney function normal?

 

[Tom57]

Yeah, I understand that you are concerned, worried, etc for not being able to find documentation about some relationship between eating bananas and PACs.
Way back in 2010, I had a similar situation. I had a CABG in late 2009 and immediately (4 days) later developed anemia (low RBC, low Hemoglobin, low Hematocrit, and low platelet count). Both my Cardiologist and my Hematologist told me to stop worrying and that there was no documentation between CABG and anemia. They were right that there were no studies that proved any link between CABG and anemia.
Fast forward 2 or 3 years...studies were completed and published that showed a causal relationship between CABG and anemia. Both cardiology and hematology medical journals published the study results and both my Cardiologist and Hematologist then believed in a causal relationship between CABG and anemia. My anemia had turned into iron deficiency anemia and I got iron infusions in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2019. My Hematologist ordered an OTC iron for me in 2020 and 4 years later I am still taking iron Bisglycinate since I can't tolerate iron sulfate and my iron deficiency anemia has stayed away.
The moral of the story... medical professionals rely on clinical studies not anecdotal evidence to make medical decisions. Stay off bananas as long as that works and be a patient patient until medical science proves or disproves any relationship.

 

[mountainsoft]

Having potassium too low or too high can affect your heart I believe but I would not think a banana would be a big deal. But then some blood pressure meds are potassium sparing - they tell you not to use salt substitute on them. Are your blood levels normal?

And is your kidney function normal?

Yep, blood levels (and kidney function) all normal. I specifically asked my doc to test all electrolytes, potassium, magnesium, etc. All were right in the middle of the "normal" ranges (this was all while still eating my daily banana).

The triggering foods do seem to be things with high potassium levels, but it's odd my blood readings would be normal if I was experiencing hyperkalemia.

 

[mountainsoft]

Stay off bananas as long as that works

Yep, scientific proof or not, it seems to work for me so I'm sticking with it.

Ironically I only started eating bananas every day because it was supposed to help lower blood pressure. I never saw any reduction in blood pressure, but came to really enjoy a banana every day anyway. The first few weeks without them was kind of hard, but now I don't miss them.

I only ran across one or two studies saying there was some enzyme in OVER ripe bananas that could affect heart rhythm, but I didn't save the links and can't seem to find them now. I also didn't have any other symptoms listed for banana allergies, or even having too much potassium.

Who knows. I'm just glad something finally made a difference for me.

 

[marko]

Timely. I just got back from my doctor this morning. I've had PVCs since grade school but in the past three weeks they've gone crazy. A lot more powerful and almost constant. He's increased my Metropolol to 100 mg and we'll see where it goes.

Caffeine and alcohol have no impact either way. I have been eating a lot more peanuts and cashews (family cocktail hour) and bananas of late. So I'll cut them all out and see.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I have had PACs and /or PVCs for about 30 years, maybe even more. My Cardiologist tells me that they are benign and to ignore them. "Stop taking your own pulse" he tells me every time I bring it up. He must know what he is talking about as he is taughted as the best in NE. Fla. (A fluke that he is my Cardiologist, I can assure you)

 

[mountainsoft]

Caffeine and alcohol have no impact either way. I have been eating a lot more peanuts and cashews (family cocktail hour) and bananas of late. So I'll cut them all out and see.

Please report back if you see any results (positive or negative). I would love to know if this is a thing, of just a crackpot theory in my head.

 

[mountainsoft]

I have had PACs and /or PVCs for about 30 years, maybe even more. My Cardiologist tells me that they are benign and to ignore them. "Stop taking your own pulse" he tells me every time I bring it up.

Yeah, I'm told the same thing. Easy to say, hard to do when they make you feel terrible.

I have a home EKG monitor that I've been using the last couple years. My wife made the comment yesterday that I must be doing better because I haven't complained or taken my readings for a while. No need if I'm feeling fine.

 

[OldShooter]

You need a new doctor. You should not be doing this as a DIY project, successful though it seems to be. First, he is apparently unable to come up with a diagnosis and second, ("My doc insisted there was no connection") that is the kind of arrogance that kills people. You appear to have found a connection; he should not be arguing with you about it unless he has found and showed you research that backs up his opinion.

 

[marko]

Please report back if you see any results (positive or negative). I would love to know if this is a thing, of just a crackpot theory in my head.

Will do, although I start a higher dose of metropolol tomorrow. But I can add peanuts at a later time and see what happens.

 

[mountainsoft]

You need a new doctor. You should not be doing this as a DIY project, successful though it seems to be. First, he is apparently unable to come up with a diagnosis and second, ("My doc insisted there was no connection") that is the kind of arrogance that kills people. You appear to have found a connection; he should not be arguing with you about it unless he has found and showed you research that backs up his opinion.

That's kind of harsh. He has been very supportive since the PAC's started. There was no arrogance involved, he simply said he had no medical explanation behind my banana theory, but if it improved my situation to continue doing it. Furthermore I have seen multiple doctors over the last couple years and they've all had the same position on the PAC's. The exact cause is unknown, it's not going to kill me, try the medications that are known to help, and avoid common triggers.

Once I exhausted the typical medical solutions, I saw no harm in a little DIY experimentation to see if anything had an effect. There truly may not be any medical reason it's helping and it's strictly a placebo affect. Either way I'm just happy to find some relief, even if it's temporary.

 

[mountainsoft]

I start a higher dose of metoprolol tomorrow.

Good luck, I hope it helps. I couldn't tolerate Metoprolol very well. I was on a low dose, but it dropped my pulse down to the 40's, and lowered my BP down to 90/60. I couldn't get my heart rate up when working or exercising, which made it impossible to do almost anything. I felt so much better once I switched to Diltiazem, though I had to increase the dosage a few times until I settled on 300mg ER.

 

[marko]

Good luck, I hope it helps. I couldn't tolerate Metoprolol very well. I was on a low dose, but it dropped my pulse down to the 40's, and lowered my BP down to 90/60. I couldn't get my heart rate up when working or exercising, which made it impossible to do almost anything. I felt so much better once I switched to Diltiazem, though I had to increase the dosage a few times until I settled on 300mg ER.

One thing that sometimes provides some mitigation for me is a good upper back chiropractor adjustment FWIW

 

[audreyh1]

DH has been able to avoid pre-beats or irregular episodes by avoiding caffeine for years.

 

[grasshopper]

Yep, scientific proof or not, it seems to work for me so I'm sticking with it.

Ironically I only started eating bananas every day because it was supposed to help lower blood pressure. I never saw any reduction in blood pressure, but came to really enjoy a banana every day anyway. The first few weeks without them was kind of hard, but now I don't miss them.

I only ran across one or two studies saying there was some enzyme in OVER ripe bananas that could affect heart rhythm, but I didn't save the links and can't seem to find them now. I also didn't have any other symptoms listed for banana allergies, or even having too much potassium.

Who knows. I'm just glad something finally made a difference for me.

I loved my banana a day, but my kidneys didn't. So I kicked the habit.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I started getting PVCs after losing 70 lbs (over 2+ years). They weren't that bad, they just left me feeling a little short of breath and I could feel the "wiggling" in my chest, which was weird but not painful. CoQ10 has controlled them pretty well, as I mentioned in the supplements thread, to the point where I tried reducing the dose to see if it was resolved, and they came back.

 

[Dawg52]

Do you sleep well at night? Ever have minor migraines? That was my problem and I had racing heart episodes and what felt like irregular heart beats in 2019. I went through all the heart tests too and was then forwarded to a neurologist. He put me on Amitriptyline and I sleep much better plus no more migraines. I recently tried getting off of the drug as one side effect is weight gain. But another racing heart episode occurred so back on the drug.

Probably not your problem but thought I would mention it.

 

[tmitchell]

I've had PVC's for years and did the full workup etc, all to have 3 different docs tell me to relax and not worry. Still they are worrisome whenever they kick up.

I have noticed that excessive alcohol can kick them up the day after. Also, eating generally can tend to increase them, I'm assuming due to the digestive process. Caffeine seems to have little effect, unless I've had too much to drink (which again I attribute to alcohol).

Stress, however, is the one thing that reliably brings them on. I have been able to track "hidden stress" just by their presence. Some times I don't think I'm under stress, but when I notice they are increasing I ask myself some questions and sure enough something is bothering me. Once I identify that, they tend to resolve again.

 

[pacergal]

Many patients can find helpful solutions to symptoms simply with paying attention to food intake, activity level, etc when something is going on.
You have obviously found a connection, for you, with Potassium and your PACs, Excellent! If avoiding or decreasing intake helps, keep at it.
Every human body is different and finding solutions requires working together with your medical team.

 

[mountainsoft]

I loved my banana a day, but my kidneys didn't. So I kicked the habit.

Interesting. What effect do banana's have on kidney's?

 

[mountainsoft]

I started getting PVCs after losing 70 lbs (over 2+ years). They weren't that bad, they just left me feeling a little short of breath and I could feel the "wiggling" in my chest, which was weird but not painful. CoQ10 has controlled them pretty well

Yeah, that wiggling feeling in my chest is about the most I'm dealing with now. If it goes on long enough it can kind of make me feel nauseous, but most times it's just annoying more than anything.

If I get a really long run of intense PAC's, my chest muscles can start to hurt a bit, but again it's just an annoyance.

Before I stopped eating the daily banana, a bad run of PAC's every few weeks would make me feel horrible. It was almost impossible to sleep on my left side as I felt like I was getting punched in the side when my heart would do the strong catch up beat.

I was going to try CoQ10 as it was one of the supplements that was supposed to help, but dang that stuff was expensive. So I passed on that experiment.

 

[mountainsoft]

Do you sleep well at night? Ever have minor migraines?

Yep, I sleep great, no problems at all. I'm out as soon as I hit the bed and don't wake up till morning when I feel rested. Occasionally I might wake up once to use the bathroom, but even that is fairly rare.

I've never had a migraine in my life, and rarely even have a headache.

 

[mountainsoft]

I have noticed that excessive alcohol can kick them up the day after. Also, eating generally can tend to increase them, I'm assuming due to the digestive process. Caffeine seems to have little effect, unless I've had too much to drink (which again I attribute to alcohol). Stress, however, is the one thing that reliably brings them on.

If I've had TOO much to drink it can sometimes cause them, but I usually don't drink that much. Normal beer or wine consumption doesn't trigger anything.

Caffeine doesn't seem to affect my PAC's at all, but once I stopped drinking caffeinated beverages, I don't have much tolerance for it anymore. No PAC's, but it makes me feel jittery and buzzed now.

The only stress I've noticed that can cause the PAC's is driving in city traffic. Thankfully I rarely do that anymore, and it doesn't always affect me even if I am stressed.

 

[grasshopper]

Interesting. What effect do banana's have on kidney's?

Potassium is tricky in kidney function, if your kidneys are compromised it adds to the kidneys ability to filter potassium out and causes buildup.

"Normally, the are your body’s exit ramp for excess potassium, sending it out in urine. But in people with chronic kidney disease, potassium may build up and levels can become dangerously high."

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-does-potassium-do-body#1