Can certain foods induce cardiac arrhythmia? (med professionals, researchers and known citations only please!)

Question

Me: 42, nonsmoker, overweight but otherwise good health. Currently on HCT & Lisinopril for BP control.

A year ago, I had episodes of what could best be described as a "cardiac arrhythmia", where my normal heart rate seemed to accelerate briefly to maybe 6-8x normal rate, lasting ~2 seconds, then returning to normal. Maybe 20-30 events in 12ish hr period, tapering in intensity over time. Minimal stress seemed to trigger event.

Described symptoms to PCP, he ordered treadmill stress test & heart monitor for a month. Neither caught it.

Two weeks ago, arrhythmia returned, same MO, gone next day, hasn't come back. Only correlate I can figure is a burrito I ate about four hours earlier, packed w/ many different things. I'm guessing something in that burrito triggered the event.

I'm going to the doc in a few days for my AP anyway, but I thought I'd ask the forum if there is known evidence of certain foods triggering arrhythmia, and what those foods might be.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Foods and drink containing caffeine (tea,coffee,chocolates, coke etc) will stimulate the body and may accelerate heart rate. Some people often get ectopic heart beats "extra beats" which usually are not dangerous. Caffeine intake can make these more likely.
Rarely people can be born with an accessory pathway (an additional electrical conduction pathway) which may be triggered at times by anything that stimulates the heart.

Alcohol (in excess or binge drinking) may lead to a range of arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) which may be intermittent.

However eating the burrito may have been a coincidence.

As long as your heart is structurally normal (on echocardiogram) and not related to exercise (on stress testing) then it is probably not serious. If symptoms are frequent however additional tests may be neccesary (eg longer monitors "event monitors" and rarely electrical studies.)

Wait until you see the specialist as there may be clues on ECG, on your history.

Regards.

Answer 2

The most likely cause is a sudden drop of blood pressure that occurs with a change in body position (e.g., going from lying down to standing up). When tachycardia occurs for this reason, it is called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The only way I can imagine food being involved in tachycardia would be the shift of blood to the stomach during digestion making you more likely to have an orthostatic fall in pressure.

Answer 3

This article will give you a view the subject in question:
Causes

The most common cause of arrhythmias is heart disease, particularly coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, and heart failure. Many drugs, prescription or nonprescription, can lead to arrhythmias. Some arrhythmias are caused by anatomic abnormalities present at birth (congenital birth defects). Age-related changes in the heart's electrical system make some arrhythmias more likely. An overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), producing high levels of thyroid hormone, may cause fast arrhythmias. An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), producing low levels of thyroid hormone, may cause slow arrhythmias. Sometimes no cause for an arrhythmia can be identified.

Fast arrhythmias (tachyarrhythmias) may be triggered by exercise, emotional stress, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, or use of drugs that contain stimulants, such as cold and hay fever remedies. Slow arrhythmias (bradyarrhythmias) may be triggered by pain, hunger, fatigue, digestive disorders (such as diarrhea and vomiting), or swallowing, which can stimulate the vagus nerve excessively. (With enough stimulation, which is rare, the vagus nerve can cause the heart to stop.) In most of these circumstances, the arrhythmia tends to resolve on its own.

Symptoms

Some people who have abnormal heartbeats may be aware of them. However, awareness of heartbeats (called palpitations) varies widely among people. Some people can feel normal heartbeats, and most people can feel heartbeats when they lie on their left side.

Arrhythmias have consequences that range from harmless to life threatening. The seriousness of an arrhythmia may not be closely linked with the severity of the symptoms it causes. Some life-threatening arrhythmias cause no symptoms, and some otherwise inconsequential arrhythmias cause severe symptoms. Often, the nature and severity of the underlying heart disease are more important than the arrhythmia itself.

When arrhythmias impair the heart's ability to pump blood, they can produce weakness, a reduced capacity for exercise, light-headedness, dizziness, and fainting (syncope (see Low Blood Pressure: Fainting). Fainting occurs when the heart is pumping so inefficiently that it can no longer maintain adequate blood pressure. If such an arrhythmia persists, death may result. Arrhythmias may also aggravate the symptoms of underlying heart disease, including chest pain and shortness of breath. Arrhythmias that produce symptoms require prompt attention.

Diagnosis

Often, a person's description of symptoms can help doctors make a preliminary diagnosis and determine the severity of the arrhythmia. The most important considerations are whether the palpitations are fast or slow, regular or irregular, or brief or prolonged and whether the arrhythmia produces symptoms. Doctors also need to know whether the palpitations occur at rest or only during strenuous or unusual activity and whether they start and stop suddenly or gradually. However, certain diagnostic procedures are often needed to determine the exact nature of the arrhythmia and its cause.

Electrocardiography (ECG) (see Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders: Electrocardiography) is the main diagnostic procedure for detecting arrhythmias and determining their cause. This procedure provides a graphic representation of the electrical current producing each heartbeat. Usually, ECG records the heart rhythm for only a very short time. Because arrhythmias are often intermittent, a portable ECG monitor (Holter monitor (see Holter Monitor: Continuous ECG ReadingsFigures) may be used to record heart rhythm continuously or when the wearer senses an abnormal heart rhythm and activates the monitor. This monitor, usually worn for 24 hours, can record sporadic arrhythmias as the person engages in normal daily activities. During the 24-hour period, the person also keeps a diary of symptoms and activities, which are correlated with the arrhythmias.

People with suspected life-threatening arrhythmias are usually hospitalized. Their heart rhythm is continuously recorded and displayed on a television-type monitor by the bedside or nursing station. Thus, any problems can be identified promptly.

Other diagnostic procedures include exercise stress testing (ECG and blood pressure measurement during exercise (see Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders: Exercise Stress Testing) and electrophysiologic testing (see Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders: Electrophysiologic Testing). During electrophysiologic testing, catheters with tiny electrodes at their tip are inserted through a vein and threaded into the heart. The electrodes are used to stimulate the heart, and the heart's response is monitored, so that the type of arrhythmia and the preferred treatment options can be determined.