Can anyone suggest an electrolyte I could try ? I’ve read posts saying they can sometimes be helpful for Afib but I believe sports drinks that contain electrolytes can trigger Afib. Also, how often should they be taken ? I bought some Dioralyte sachets but am now wary about taking any.
Annie.
Coconut water is a good source of electrolytes.
Thank you Jean 👍
Hi
As Jean says, coconut water is great but check the ingredients as some brands include added fructose. Alternatively, I use the Nunn brand of electrolytes, as that’s the only one I’ve found that uses stevia as a sweetener, rather than aspartame etc.
Thanks Threecats. I haven’t heard if the Nunn brand and although I have heard Aspartame is bad, I didn’t even know it would be in electrolyte products !
Yes, I’m afraid artificial sweeteners are in a great many of these electrolyte preparations, including Dioralyte, unfortunately. That’s one I used to take to head off AF episodes until I realised!
Pinch of salt & half a lemon sqeezed into a glass of water 👍
Oooh, that sounds nice and simple - and I like lemon 😊. Maybe the salt will help my leg cramps too. I never add salt to my food, thinking it’s best for health, but perhaps, because I eat very little processed food either, maybe I am a bit short of it 🤔 Thank you !
Annie
I like the SIS brand from Sainsbury’s. Not cheap but no bad stuff and I always take it when exercising in the gym of sometimes just when I’m thirsty .. Other than that the occasional coconut water or lemon / salt in water ….
I use SIS tablets dissolved in water, cheaper at Home Bargains! You can, if you hunt for it, get the SIS version in powder form that works out less expensive, In Australia, where they’re more aware of the importance of proper rehydration, Gatorade electrolyte powder is on all the supermarket shelves but I’ve not seen it in the UK.
Thanks for the tip on HB 👍🏼
Another handy tip - what a great forum this is ! Thank you Portishead.
If I am getting dehydrated I take ORS tablets occasionally. They seem to do the trick, however my Afib is rythm not rate.
I gather that fizzy drink can trigger ectopic beats not because of their electrolyte ingredients but by the gassiness distending the stomach and pushing it against the diaphragm, which then pushes against the heart causing mild and natural irritation. The ectopic beats can then trigger AF in those prone to it.
The body has a perfect electrolyte control system through a system called homeostasis, partly controlled by the kidneys. Taking excess electrolytes will cause the kidneys to excrete more, which end up in the urine. It's unlikely that you are short of electrolytes as the body has stores available, like a "buffer" to allow homeostasis to work. It's a vital process and severe ill heath results when it goes awry.
That said, some people claim, not yet supported by science, that taking extra magnesium can calm their nerves and even reduce AF. It's a safe electrolyte to take so is maybe worth a trial, It cannot be overly absorbed because it is excreted by the bowel, not the kidneys. Too much magnesium will irritate the bowel, mildly, which gives it a highly effective and safe laxative effect.
Other electrolytes, especially potassium, do enter the bloodstream when taken orally and, although the kidneys will quickly remove excess, these can affect other organs before that happens, especially the heart, so are considered unsafe to take without a medical reason and prescription.
It's my view that a balanced diet will provide all the nutrients the body needs and in a form that is naturally absorbed. Electrolytes occur in all foods, but vegetables, fruit, nuts, pulses, eggs and similar are excellent sources. Electrolytes produced from powdered rocks or from seawater (common industrial sources) seem an odd way to take them! But that's just me.
Steve
Thanks for such an informative post Steve. You seem very knowledgeable about this area of health so I will follow your advice and rely on nature ! I do have a reasonably healthy diet - not perfect, but hardly any processed food, and I don’t drink fizzy drinks. From what you say, electrolytes aren’t the magic bullet they are sometimes made out to be. Having said that, we are all different and some people might well need extra electrolytes if their diet falls short. Thanks again.
Annie.
Thank you. That's made my day. I only wish these things did work but, well, they don't for me. I got my knowledge from spending many years in what some like to call "Big Pharma" but later became an English teacher, yet kept up my fascination with chemistry and medicine. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing I sometimes feel though as I am an overly anxious sort and easily exaggerate a problem.
I think, if I were you, I'd still try an organic magnesium salt, such as citrate or taurate, for a couple of months. Both seem seem to have a useful effect in some people and, whether that's a placebo effect or not, it's worthwhile if it brings relief and confidence.
The sun is shining, and the wind is a-blowing, so a nice walk is called for today!
Steve
I’ll follow your advice 👍 As you say, some things do work for some people and not for others. Afib is a crafty thing anyway. It did sound as though you had ‘chemical’ knowledge, but I hadn’t picked up on that in previous posts. If you became an English teacher, we will have to watch our grammar in these posts 😂. It’s just started raining here in Wales so instead of a walk, it’s indoor games with the four visiting grandchildren….!
Annie
We only have one grandchild and we'll be be seeing him later, I hope as his mum, a nurse, is on her arduous 12-hour shift (over 14 all-up including travelling and lunch).
Steve
If a person takes a diuretic because of water retention it upsets the balance of electrolytes. The only way to know what amount of potassium or sodium youhave is with a blood test.
Yes - so true. That is a special case, though and would, hopefully, be something a doctor would be aware of. I recall my late grandmother, in her early 90s and many years ago, having her diuretics changed and she almost immediately started hallucinating crazily, The hospital failed to connect this with the change of drugs and told us she had dementia. Overnight? No way. Eventually they agreed the reason was the new diuretic tablets but, by then, her potassium levels had affected her heart and she had a cardiac arrest from which she then developed pneumonia and died.
Steve
That is awful that should never have happened to your grandmother. Everyone on diuretics should have regular blood tests as you can lose essential minerals through your kidneys working over time. Each time l have ended up in hospital, it has been found that my potassium has been too low. When l was put on diureticsyears ago l was told l would have to have a blood test once a month. Since covid it only happens once a year.
It was awful and tragic. It was years ago now but was inexcusable even then. We never did see the responsible hospital doctor, and the nurse was left to say sorry for what had happened.
Steve
I take James Whites Beet It Sport 400. It's just concentrated Beetroot juice. It relaxes your veins and enables them to transport more oxygen. Which of course means higher performance and lower blood pressure. Makes your pee an alarming colour though.
All the best.
Roy
I’ve heard beetroot is good generally 👍
Yes I eat it too,👍
Hi
As you know you can make it up yourself.
Natural boiled water, squeeze lemon, orange, lime, a pinch salt iodized, teaspoon of glucose in 1 big glass.
Research are saying that athletics do better with UHT milk. Milk has itself got good nutrients in it.
UP AND GO is an example by sanatirium and it includes a carbohydrate.
Easy to carry a box with you.
cheri JOY. 74. (NZ)
5 hours of AF - Hydrate & Electrolytes - Warm Weather
Did anyone else listen to the talk about Electrolytes by Surrey ASG?
If electrolyte imbalance is the cause of afib, can restoring the balance cure afib? Or will afib happen again?
Doctors and nutrition
