Bread and afib?

Does anyone know if bread can bring on an afib attack? It seems like that’s when I go into afib.

[BobD Volunteer]

Obviously the answer is yes if it does for you. Af is such a mongrel condition there may not be another person on the planet for who it is problem. Or not. My gut reaction (deliberate) is maybe bloating from wheat intolerance.

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

Thanks

[Hidden]

hi there,

Yes - but its not bread as such but the ingredients - gluten and wheat and any other crap preservatives. Almost certainly your gut will have developed a food intolerance of some sort, which will impact on the vagal nerve, which in turn will impact on the heart.

When I 'discovered' this phenonema I consulted a Nutritionist.

The vagal nerve is a major nerve ( and a major player in your welfare) in the central nervous system which touches on many organs in the body but in particular its an information superhighway between the brain, the heart and the digestive system.

If you Google 'vagal nerve schematic diagram' you will see some diagrams of this amazing nerve and where it goes - vagal means wandering - you'll understand when you see the diagram.

My nutritionist gave me a course of probiotics, then put me on a gluten free, wheat free and oats free diet, which during the following years I significantly widened and until Feb 2018 (nearly 3 years) one night I tripped back into AF again. Woke up from sleeping on my left side - heart trying to break out of my chest - ECG trace going ballistic, BP monitor telling me I was in AF, HR peaked at 149 - lasted for 5 hours then stopped. Took about another 21 hours for my HR return to normal. bingo - job done - no worries - back to normal - nothing since.

Most likely sleeping on my left side triggered some dysfunction in the vagal nerve.

John

[Rhea11 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, exactly that, John .. thank you.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I’ve noticed left side sleeping makes it happen some. I seem to have different degrees of afib. Sometimes I can keep going and other times I have to lay down. Thanks

[Bagrat in reply to Hidden]

You might find it interesting to Google polyvagal theory too.

[ncernaa]

I think I am sensitive to wheat or gluten. When I eat cereal I get palpitations.

[Hidden]

I tried to tell the drs this and they act like I have lost my mind. Thanks.

[CDreamer in reply to Hidden]

I think it is the Doctors who don’t ask enough questions nor listen to the answers, not you.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

No you certainly haven't ! Problem lies with the doctors whose training at Medical School confines them to thinking only INSIDE the box, never to explore the real world OUTSIDE it ! That said you'll find a Gastroenterologist more aware of the vagal nerve and the heart and the gut than a Cardiologist or EP is. As for GP's - forget them, all they'll ever do is refer you for untold tests and if the results come back inconclusive they'll just wash their hands of you ! Fob you off !

[opal11uk]

If you feel this to be so in your case then stay off the bread

[Hidden in reply to opal11uk]

I’m trying.

[seasider18]

Are you eating supermarket bread, homemade or Bakery made bread ?

dailymail.co.uk/news/articl...

[Hidden in reply to seasider18]

Supermarket bread

[secondtry]

Great comments by John re the Vagus Nerve.

Supermarket bread has unhealthy wheat varieties bred for just quantity not quality, gluten and then I believe some manufacturers add another super gluten as well as all the other junk. No surprise then only a few can tolerate this in the long term. There are various solutions: cut out bread completely, get used to a quality gluten free bread (not that sold in supermarkets, use mail order, at present I am using artisanbread-abo.com ) or a local baker that does sour dough and ideally the older heritage grains such as Spelt, Emma or Einkorn that more people can tolerate.

Given your comments this will likely help reduce AF and will also make you healthier all round. One extra tip, I have a bit of everything i.e. I don't reduce gluten to zero, if you do your body will react that much more if you have some whilst out socially.

[Hidden in reply to secondtry]

Thanks. May try that website.

[grussell49 in reply to Hidden]

Sami’s is another good site to order gluten free foods

[CDreamer]

Certainly for me - I am now gluten free. Gave dreadful acid reflux as well - even one mouthful!

[Hidden]

I start burping really bad after gluten then here comes the afib. Thanks

[Hidden]

Well said. Thanks

[Gracey23]

Ironic that this post came up this morning. I had some delicious bakery bread the other evening and before going to sleep I was bothered by acid reflux which rarely happens to me. I tried to figure out why and thought possibly the sugar in the bread? I woke at 5am with my heart in AFib! As many have mentioned before there really does seem to be a link of acid reflux and AFib. Thanks for this helpful post !

[ncernaa in reply to Gracey23]

Sugars can feed bad bacteria in the gut. Like H Pylori.

[secondtry]

Yes, I had acid reflux before AF set in but now with the lifestyle, food etc improvements I never have it.

[Hidden in reply to secondtry]

That’s great.

[Polski]

Bread, especially white bread, turns into sugar fast, and so may upset your sugar levels, which may set off the AF. Have you tried a wholemeal bread, to see if the effect is the same? This should be digested into glucose much more slowly.

[Hidden in reply to Polski]

No. Thanks I may try that.

[ncernaa in reply to Polski]

Any food made of wheat is going to spike the sugar levels.

[sportscoach]

An interesting and informative read if you wish to know how wheat effects your health is the book “Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis” (Cardiologist)

An simple experiment we conduct with our swimmers to show them how bread reacts in the stomach is to wet a slice of white bread in water and then squeeze it in your hands feel how it sticks to your hand which reflects what happens in your gut and how difficult it is to digest causing bloating etc etc

[Hidden]

Thanks

[Sharara]

Supermarket breads and cakes contain Soya flour which gives me atrial fibrillation and heart burn. Since checking the ingredients in the shops II avoid these types of food and have not suffered since. The bread I find I can use is Sourdough or pitta breads which do not affect me.

[Rosenbumtv]

I thought I was crazy until I read this. There is no question that for me there is a direct correlation between eating bread, particularly at dinner, and having both reflux and AF in the middle of the night. Thanks so much for this posting, Helps a lot