G'day all,
Could AF be the cause of a past (past being the operative word!) partying life style? Tobacco,alcohol,recreational drugs etc. I sometimes get asked that question and I'm not quite sure what the answer is - or is AF just luck/unluck of the draw. Do any Afibbers out there have a medico with an opinion on this?
Cheers,
Musetta
I think is not so much associated with a "misspent youth" I loved a pint and stayed up late amd my brother has never ever taken to alcohol or smoked or partied neither of is is overweight or unfit but we both have paf. Our mum suffered the same. My view is that it's heredity. My dad had a stroke. I've had a TIA.
Barry
If you have a reduced threshold for atrial fibrillation but have never actually experienced AF, then heavy episodes of alcohol and drugs might create the conditions whereby this latent condition might surface. Imagine 5 University friends who eat some strong hash brownies. Four have a blast; but the one with a reduced threshold for AF has palpitations for half the night and vows never to touch the stuff again. My feeling is unless you are a serious drug and alcohol abuser, partying is very unlikely to create a heart condition that wasn't there in the first place.
I'm interested to know what you would term an alcohol abuser. I abstain for 4 nights a week and on the 3 I drink I have about 9 pints and a bottle of wine, spread over the 3 nights. Am I an abuser.?
I'm no expert about alcohol abuse ... but my own belief is that *everyone* who develops atrial fibrillation had a predisposition to the condition (by that I mean we are born with a susceptibility to the condition. A predisposition does not mean you will definitely get the disease, just that you have a reduced threshold for atrial fibrillation, relative to other people).
Lifestyle can trigger or influence the development and prognosis of the condition, but I seriously doubt it can actually cause atrial fibrillation unless you had a predisposition in the first place.
Jason is exactly right: Tons of my friends played squash more intensely and for longer, or are constant alcohol consumers, and do not have atrial fibrillation.
Like everything, the condition is the result of an interplay between nature and nurture - our predispositions (my mother has atrial fibrillation) and various environmental triggers and influences (for me, mainly playing squash for 30 years, added to work stress, and then some emotional upheaval just prior to its emergence in 2008).
For most people you need a predisposition for AF but this can be either genetic or acquired. By acquired I refer to people who are adrenaline junkies and can't stop training or going to the gym. The demands put on the heart often cause the atria to expand stretching and disrupting the electrical pathways. This also applies to fast jet military pilots where the need to fight g force (up to 9 g) in a modern jet fighter puts similar strains on the heart. These are know facts from observational studies. There is less evidence that alcohol can cause AF other than binge drinking which may result on an AF event. Since AF begets AF it follows that continued binge drinking may well cause regular and sustainable events once sufficient damage has been done but I doubt that the odd bad night can do permanent damage.
What confuses the situation is that we are all different and AF is such a mongrel condition but many people find that stopping alcohol consumption can reduce the severity or number of events. Did it cause them in the first place? Who knows?
What I do know is that there is no point at all in looking back and wishing we had done things differently. Far better to live every day to the full now within the confines of what we can achieve. j' regrette rien.
Bob
I'd agree with Thomps95 and Barry, Musetta. My past has been colourful and apart from smoking I have abused most things (I'd like to emphasise past 
) and combined with quite a sporty history, I don't think there were many days where my heart rate had much of a rest. If my AF is a direct result of this, then I can't argue. However, I'm aware of many a friend and teammate who lived similar lives and they have no AF or other health issues to complain about. I'd like to think it isn't hereditary, as nobody in my family has any kind of heart issue, however, my son has recently been experiencing palpitations whilst at Uni and is currently having a series of tests.
Hi - I think the general concensus on this is that what you mention are definitely triggers but that some people have other triggers that are the cause. So, not necessarily, in other words!
In my case I know my trigger was booze and eating too much. 
I agree with all of the above, my problem is that because Bisoprolol masks my AF, I continue to booze too much, I'm stuck in a weird catch 22 !!
Do an Internet search for John Mandrola. You may be surprised. The left atria stretches when under duress, the result in some people is AF. The cumlative effects of living an extreme lifestyle cannot be minimized. You are lying to yourself if you think otherwise.
As people have said we are all different but alcohol is a huge trigger for me and up until 2 years I was 40 cigs a day and drank way too much - as in alcoholic too much.
I went off the booze in Dec 2013 and picked it up again in June 14 after 6 months of pretty much no AF. After my first big night I went into AF and into hospital.
2 days later same thing again. And have been off he booze since then and have no intention of starting it up again.
I'm convinced that 20 years of alcohol abuse and cigs put me on the AF path BUT have found that magnesium has been an absolute godsend and virtually eradicated what used to be a monthly drama (at least) with AF.
Its the best thing I have found but unfortunately it took Google and lots of research not a cardiologist who would suggest supplements which are KNOWN to assist with reducing AF. Seriously if a pharma doesn't supply it they don't describe it.
My feeling is that there's no point in beating ourselves up over what we could or couldn't have done to prevent it. Mine may or may not have been caused by running 4 marathons. I have friends who have run many marathons and don't have AF, so was I unlucky or did I have a pre-disposition to it or was it something completely unrelated. I don't think there's any evidence that it's inherited though.
My EP said that you will rarely find out exactly what caused the AF in the first place and often it is multiple contributors. Also said the important thing is to be aware of general / specific triggers to reduce affects in the future.
One thing he told me about (which has not had too much coverage in various posts) is to avoid processed foods.
Does anyone know if ham on the bone is classified as a processed food (ham roll does)?
Lifestyle, and general health! AF is a reflection of one's general health. Eating processed foods, sugar, and too many animal products leads to general inflammation within the vessels. Your DNA is not your destiny. Plant based nutrition proves that you can turn off genes that give a tendency for heart disease, diabetes, and even cancers.
While there is no point about beating yourself up about earlier lifestyle choices to be sedentary or to overexercise, to drink too much alcohol, to smoke, or to let your waistline become too wide, there is the point of starting fresh. You can get a do-over, the chance to be healthier. Start today to exercise and eat well, sleep well and be calm. When everything else is in place your atria will be happier.
And PeterWh, ham is really high in sodium and best avoided.
Be well.
I knew that ham that was rolled / in round (if you get what I mean) as classified as a processed food (I suspect because it is bits and then "remanufactured").
However someone told me that ham on the bone was not classified as a processed food - and I had doubts about that!!!
Lifestyle 🏊♀️ 🧘♀️ 🏃♀️💪🏻🚴🥗💧🍷🧂🍫👍 (long post alert - get a cuppa tea ☕️)
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