Sugar as the trigger?

[MarAF]

I had 4 hours of afib last night after having a small piece of frosting less cake. Has anyone had issues with sugar? I generally have been avoiding sugar, salt etc with my vagal afib. the fib lasted over 4 hours. I'm paroxysmal level and having an abalation soon.

[BobD Volunteer]

I stopped adding sugar to anything when I became pre diabetic abotu four years ago and droped out of that category within a year. Never made any difference to my heart.

[jeanjeannie50]

There was a member on here called Sam many years ago and she found that sugar was a trigger for her AF.

Jean

[Hidden]

I cut out all added salt at least 30 years ago, long before AF. I have cut out all added sugar in recent years although periodically I treat myself to sugar in a cup of tea. The main things that control my AF is Bisoprolol and diet. So far this year I've had no AF events and the year before only 2.

I do randomly test my blood sugar as my Dad was mature age diabetic, and diabetes eventually killed him. My current readings are at the highish end of the normal scale but no where near prediabetic.

John

[Tarikor]

Ok, so from a guy who is not only an AFibber, but has asthma, scarred lungs due to old sarcoid, and massive digestive issues, SUGAR is a poison. (sugar free stuff are even worse so don't even go with that crap, like aspartame and acelsufame-K as it causes AF). I have found that removing as many carbs as I can helped even more (both with my heart, my breathing issues and my acid reflux). Avoid all sugar not just by not adding it to drinks like coffee or tea, but not using it for anything in your food. And not buying anything that has any form of sugar (fructose is the worst and is in nearly damn everything these days). So if you are serious about your heart health (and rest of body health too), avoid it completely. You will see some miraculous looking changes, trust me. I love eating sweet things but it is not worth the pain and agony it causes to our bodies.

Little fact nugget: our prehistoric ancestors had on average only a dozen teaspons of sugar A YEAR. Mostly from berries or fruits they came across and occasionally honey.

Take a wild guess how much sugar we consume nowadays per year? Roughly between 50 and 75 kilograms. No wonder we are all sick and effed up to be honest.

There are great videos on Youtube about the effects of sugar and more specifically insulin resistance on the body and you can find countless anecdotes of people who quit sugar completely and how they are looking and feeling today.

Note about salt: we need a lot more sodium than the pundits tell us. Unless you have a diagnosed kidney issue, don't stop your sodium intake. I found that not only did I not have any issues with my heart but I actually felt a lot better when I took additional sea salt with my meals.

[CDreamer]

Oh yes, sugar = inflammation = AF. Salty snacks on the other hand can help maintain electrolytes.

I also think that as we age our tolerance for certain foods diminishes. Dairy and sugar are my main antagonists for inflammation and I need to be very careful but I can get away with small amounts once or twice a week. It’s usually my gut that lets me know first that food wasn’t a good idea and then I feel my heart so it’s that link between gut and heart which triggers I believe.

[RoyMacDonald]

I never touch the stuff!

All the best,

Roy

[secondtry]

I cut sugar by 50% and gluten by 75%; for PAF & tinnitus. I don't restrict good quality salt not the cheap popular supermarket brands.

[MaryCa]

Absolutely. Prior to ablation it triggered afib and post ablation it triggers ectopics.

[Ppiman]

In some people, as I found out myself when hooked up in hospital, the oesophagus runs tightly against the atrium and an ectopic beat can be sparked off when food passes through it. It might not have been the kind of food, but the swallowing reflex itself?

Steve

[Lbeat796 in reply to Ppiman]

yes I get that sometimes as think vagus nerve runs parallel to eosophagus but I could be wrong

[OzJames]

yes about a 2 months ago was going to play golf so had a big fruit juice in the morning then 2 Gatorades during golf then a ginger ale and bitters after then had 2 zero beers that night for wife’s birthday and for the next 5 days had ectopics. I cut the sugar, only treats were whole fresh fruit and no more ectopics

[Auriculaire]

Yes- I have had afib episodes start after overly sweet treats- mincemeat does it for me so no mince pies! I can eat some desserts and homemade cakes as long as I have a small portion. I always reduce the amount of sugar in the cake recipe as I have found a lesser amount will produce just as good a cake. I substitute ground almonds and grated coconut for some of the flour too.

[Finvola]

Sugar is a definite trigger for me. I now take Flecainide which controls my AF but too much sugar will trigger ectopics and breathlessness. Prior to diagnosis, I blamed a Cadbury's creme egg a couple of times for bringing on my 'funny attacks'.

Artificial sweeteners are as bad (or worse) than sugar - so that isn't an option either!

[Moongold7]

I'm a relative 'newbie' to AF, being diagnosed 18 months ago, am taking Apixaban and Bisoprolol but I think I agree with you - I notice sugar affects the heart rate (and I'm a sweet tooth so it isn't going to be easy!) but of course being older Diabetes is also a threat so I think it is best to cut down and if you wish to eradicate altogether, to do it gradually. (Otherwise craving sets in (at least, has for me) and then I tend to eat to make up for the loss!)

[needlestone]

Or could have it been the wheat flour in the cake mix? The wheat sets mine off every time, not the sugar. I must stay 100% wheat free to keep my heart normal.

[Peacefulneedshelp in reply to needlestone]

Me too. We are all so different

[SeanJax]

looking for triggers is a nightmare. I would avoid all the triggers listed in the book of Dr Johnny Day. That is all I can do. If you cannot eat from time to time a small piece of cake your QOL is sub par. Is it about time to think aboutan ablation? Or WMM? I have a low carbs diet but a bite of cake twice a year is not out of the picture. Or a sip of IPA twice a year is ok for me.

[Peacefulneedshelp]

My question to your question is, could it just be the cake? Wheat Gluten? Additives in the cake mix? All those things trigger mine.

[Lbeat796]

yesMar it’s one of my top triggers with my vagal tachycardia. Consultant said that it is one of the top triggers.

[MarAF in reply to Lbeat796]

it seems I’ve given up everything. No caffeine, alcohol. Sugar etc. just got an abalation .

[wilsond]

Never had an AF or Aflutter response from sugar,but its such a strange condition that does not surprise me. Surprised how many people it does affect though.

[Hidden]

I'm a newbie here waiting to be seen by arythmia clinic, been suffering with same thing. Sugar absolutely makes my heart go funny and eating in general. I have had digestion issues for many years and its finally taken its toll on my whole body. I have to eat small plain meals. If I mix carbs and proteins its an absolute nightmare

[MarAF in reply to Hidden]

thank you for your experience. I was doing well on low carb and high protein too. Just had abalation.

[Janey1955]

ever since I was 16 and I am now 67 I have had two chocolate bars a day!! And a pudding after my evening meal. Never affected my weight and I don’t have a weight problem and my blood sugar levels are quite low. But now I have Af I have wondered if the sugar might be a trigger. After so many years of indulging it’s hard to stop though. As for salt I never add it to anything not even in cooking to try and control blood pressure although that’s pretty normal too. Could be I need a bit more salt for the Af Seems like you can’t win sometimes

Jane