I am curious. How many folks out there have radically changed their diet after their diagnosis? What was the result? How long did you maintain the radical change? What were the changes? Thanks.
Diet questions: I am curious. How many... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Diet questions
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Pommerania78
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Diagnosed on 3th of November last year. Since then, I've stopped completely with alcohol, junk food, any kind of juices & sodas. 95% healthy diet with only turkey and chicken meat and loads of vegetables and fruits/oats for breakfast. If I need something "sweet", I just grab some cashews, almonds, dark (99%) chocolate and some dried cranberries, or I take a small packet of unsalted crackers. I do prepare some food which would fall into not so healthy diet like tortillas, tikka masala or some pasta but I always try to prepare it with much less salt and no cheese or ordinary oil. Only olive oil and wholegrain pasta. I had a cheat day on Christmas where I allowed myself some fatty pleasures during lunch.
The result was (in 2 and a half months);
-lowered my cholesterol from 6.5 to 4.8
-lost 12kg
-and feeling better overal about myself
But on the other hand, I struggle with meds side effects, anxiety and mood swings. No afib episode since 5th of December. But some sort of palpitations are present almost daily.
Do you take medicine as well, such as Flecainide? Have you thought about eliminating all gluten? Thanks.
Unfortunately, I take bisoprolol 1,25mg daily and propafenone 2×150mg daily. And not happy about it since I'm feeling like sh*t, but I don't want to cut out on meds before medical consultation. Also I'm taking magnesium glycinate 250mg daily which is not much.
Didn't stop gluten since I never had issues with it before my diagnose.
Like you, even with a healthy (ish) diet, my meds make me feel lousy much of the time. Can’t spend as much time outside in hot weather as I would like, which would also limits the length of walks I can do. Even inside in my treadmill, I can’t go as long or as fast as I know I could without the meds.
That’s great.👍
Hi, You seem to be doing all the right things diet-wise. I have done almost the same regime change. But not gone as far down the road as you. I’ve cut back on my meat intake to once a week and upped my fruit and veg quantity and variety. I particularly feel worse on the occasions I don’t exercise (be active) so that I think for me definitely plays a beneficial role in my cardiovascular health though I can’t quantify this. For me I think sugar and salt are the primary enemies to tackle rather than just focus simply on reducing fat. My daily dose of Flecanide and Diltiazem seem to be keeping my PAF at bay and the intervals between my ‘episodes’ of AF have increased from one a month to one every 4 months on average. Whether this improvement is due to the healthier diet I’ve changed to or purely the medication I can’t be sure.
Like you medication side effects, such as alternating high and low mood swings, accute episodes of anxiety for no reason - are a problem for me and often seem totally unconnected with the effects of other things going on inside your body that may be causing this.
I suppose it’s a fine balance to strike between the amount of life style change needed and what the medication “therapeutic dose” is required on top of this to control the condition. Have you attributed your mood swings and anxiety bouts with your AF medication or other drug you are taking?
Good luck on your progress towards better health.
Regards
Harry
How much Flecainide do you take? Thanks.
My changes eventually became radical but I implemented them over a period of a few months as I learned more from this forum and from observing my PAF. As far as I am concerned, the changes are permanent.
Stopped: Alcohol, artificial sweeteners, colourings, flavouring, junk foods like Pringles crisps, takeaways, items like fizzy drinks (full of sweeteners etc), foods with preservatives (difficult one), chips or anything deep fried - probably done in ancient, heart-unfriendly oil. This involved label checking at the beginning.
Cut down: red meats, sugars (severely), large meals, processed foods like bacon
Increased: fish/chicken, vegetables, fruit (watch for the sugar), water and home baked/cooked from scratch food.
I may have left out some things but the main differences are in what I stopped eating, so that about 80-90 per cent of my diet is non-meat.
What effect did all this have on your health, especially Afib? Did you eliminate gluten? Thanks.
The immediate effect was from stopping alcohol - a lot of the thumping and banging lessened. A few months after diagnosis I started 200mg Flecainide and I lost weight, felt better and the AF stopped. Ten years on I still feel well, no AF and I'm used to the changes.
I've never had a gluten problem, so no, I make my own bread and do eat commercial baps as mine end up looking like dinner plates.
So you would say that changing your diet put the Afib into remission? May I ask what percentage of your body weight you lost? Since October 2023 I have lost 15 percent of my body weight. Thanks again.
I don't think it went into remission as it was hammering away as PAF until I started Flecainide, but I certainly started to feel better. You've done awfully well with 15% loss - mine is around 7 or 8% as I keep an eye on my BMI which is around 21 at the moment.
Do you think the strength of the Flecainide has ever weakened? Do you think that your medicine's strength increased with your weight loss? Thanks.
I don't think weight loss acts on the drug but rather on the body - heart and lungs especially. My theory is that this reduces the burden on the heart, making it less irritable and calmer. Flecainide maintains its strength but the AF can increase, become more frequent, episodes of PAF can become longer, so it appears that Flecainide is becoming less effective. I have been very fortunate that none of this has happened to me and that over the years I've settled into my Flecainide regime.
According to my cardiologist, many people have a similar relationship with Flecainide and do well on it for many years. Others aren't so lucky.
Weight loss and stress management go hand in hand with dietary changes - what I call overall wellbeing.
‘Effect on the drug’ in animals weight and size can be taken into consideration why not humans🤷🏼♀️
So interesting. I have always eaten healthy so that wasn’t my issue, but really would love to lose 15 pounds. My weight won’t budge. I’m on Flecainide and metoprolol, Eliquis, too, and no AF events. I exercise aerobics and lift weights. Still, the weight won’t budge. How do you do it? I believe my issue came from extreme stress with a broken heart when my brother died.
My post menopausal weight gain was very stubborn but then I subscribed to the Noom app 2 years ago and I’ve lost 20 lbs, gained a BMI of 23 and a waist to hip ratio of 0.833.
My attitude to food has changed, even though we were already flexitarians (absolutely no red or processed meats), lots of fish, veggies, fruit, vastly reduced processed foods. I now have a much more sensible attitude to food, especially portion size.
I’ve not had any Afib except for a run of 3 days when I had Covid.
How long since you have been diagnosed with Afib? Tell me about the Noom App? Thanks.
Hi I was first diagnosed in 2017 and almost immediately stopped eating red and processed meats. I couldn’t tolerate medications, so I was lucky and managed to have 3 ablations in 11 months. I only take Apixiban.
Like I said, I have been Afib free apart from the Covid blip but I feel my plant based diet helps a lot. I lso feel loosing 20 lbs has helped too.
If you search for Noom on line you will see how to subscribe . It isn’t a diet but rather a study in healthy eating and life style with the happy effect of losing weight along the journey. I honestly thought I was eating very well but I have learned a lot with the app. It takes effort, in that you log your food every day and read or listen to the lessons and then try to put them into action.
Best of luck.
Do you still take Flecainide?
Yes, still 2 x 100mg daily, together with Nebivolol and Apixaban.
I must have started out heavier than you. I began at 256 pounds and now I am 217.
BobDVolunteer
Diets do not work. For anything! Life style does.
Could you elaborate your experience? Thanks.
You speak to any doctor and they will tell you the same. The problem is people cut out various stuff, loose weight and as soon as they stop they put it plus some extra back on. Hence more often than not diets cause long term weight gain. Change you life style and live the new you.
When I was diagnosed as prediabetic some years ago I changed my life, not my diet, though some foods like sugar went forever and lost about 1 1/2 stone in six months which stays off. OK I tend to put three or four pounds on over Chrsistmas but who doesn't? Within a year I was no longer pre D.
Agree with you Bob , as a life time 'dieter '🙄The commercial Slimming Clubs rely on all the returners to maintain their revenue.
I have discovered, rather belatedly the benefits of having just a 8/10 hour window to eat , thereby having in effect a 14/16 hour 'fast'.
It depends what you mean when you say Diet.
Fad Diets , overly restricted weight loss diets , basically the word "Diet" as a term only used in weight management .
Or the broad meaning of the word Diet , which is the food that you choose to it everyday. What I like to call your , "Diet For Life".
Diet , in terms of making healthy choices about what you eat long term is part of your Lifestyle or Self Care choices and does work hand in hand with your activity choices and medical care. So in those terms Diet does work.
" Diets" , particularly over restrictive ones which may have you eliminating whole food groups or things like wheat , gluten or dairy when you aren't diagnosed as intolerant to them may help you lose weight in the short term , but aren't sustainable or advised to use long term and can sometimes cause their own negative effects on Health.
There is a big difference between the two ways to think of the word , " Diet".
So , as you say yourself , when you were found Prediabetic you may not have gone on a "Diet" but you did make changes to your Diet like reducing sugar intake m which meant your positive Diet changes did work to help you lose weight and keep the weight off except for times when you take a break from the limits , like we all do choosing a sustainable Diet for Life. It presumably helped you health-wise too by bringing your Diabetes status back to safe levels . Therefore , your Diet is working.
Yeah I agree with you. I myself, when I say my diet is mostly healthy now, what I mean is that I changed what I eat, not how much I eat. There is still a wide spectre of foods on my menu and regarding some of the foods, nowdays I eat even more than before. I just eat smarter.
So yeah, other than cutting out sugar, standard oil, junk food and alcohol, I don't restrict myself and I don't "diet".
And I don't see why this would be short term. I'm not trying primary to loose a lot of weight, but having healthy lifestyles. Weight loss is just a welcomed bonus.
You know exactly what I mean.
I might but not everyone does so it's handy to clarify what type of Diet you are talking about when you are saying something doesn't work.
O thank the lord Bob !!! Some common sense!!!
I understand the need to lose weight , if you are obese, I understand , if need be , eating to lower cholesterol but honestly !!
The few cardiologists I know are not known for abstaining.
This obsession with cutting things out , replacing them with , keffir, saur kraut etc is
( in my humble opinion ) the pathway to more anxiety , as is being glued to the readings on BP machines and watches.
Will I be banned I wonder?
I have been dieting for almost 10 years now. My high weight was 212, my cholesterol/triglycerides were high, BP moderate.
I am now at 165, and maintaining. My diet has usually consisted of reducing carbs and reducing portions - more fish and veggies.
My partner is now on a diabetic diet, so we have reduced our portions further, reduced amounts of rice and pasta.
Never any alcohol for me, but did cut out caffeine after AF diagnosis a year ago. Still the occasional donut and chocolate.
BMI in normal range, BP in normal range, Cholesterol good, Triglycerides slightly high (donuts)
What has been the effect of this on the Afib? Do you take medicine? Thanks.
Honestly I don't think that cutting out Caffeine or dieting has had an affect. Parmesan (Tyramine) is a big trigger for me. I put a ton of it on spaghetti (no more)
I am non Diltiazem 180mg and Flecainde for PIP, both are sort of hit and miss. Took me about 6 months to adjust to the Diltiazem. And the Flecainide has so far had a 50% effective rate for me (on low dose)
But I can't say for sure, with the lost weight I do feel better, maybe sleep better. Last AF was 2 months ago, previous to that 2 months, but every month prior to that. In 2022/2023 was occurring every 3-4 months, prior to my diagnosis, just thought I was dehydrated (it gets to 105/110 degrees here)
I plan to lose another 5-10lbs (over the next 1-2 years) but that's it for me. Hope that helps.
Some months after being diagnosed with paroxysmal AF I made the connection between food I'd eaten and the onset of AF. Consulted my GP at the time as I was experiencing .... intestinal gurgling, diahorrea, massive and very painful bloating, and general burping. Not all at the same time but all regularly and at random. Some blood tests were carried out and returned clear. I then consulted a Nutritionist who got me to go gluten, wheat and oats free mmediately. Got me to review the FODMAPS DIET and taught me how to keep a food /meal diary ... to monitor cause and effect of not just these but all foods, even veggies, and supposed healthy stuff and to note meal times and meal sizes.
Of all the above it was the massive and painful bloating that would trip me into AF. My medication was Warfarin and Bisoprolol .... but unlike today it was not a PIP approach. It was medication, daily and for life. There were other meds to, but I'd been on them 3 years or so before AF anyway. Even today, if I followed the good eating health mantra of 7 fruit and veg a day I'd be constantly in the bath room and no doubt in AF too for good measure.
I now can't remember my last AF event, certainly 18 months but maybe as long ago as 4 years. I've not had a cardioversion nor an ablation. I still follow the wisdom of the Nutritionist but some foods including junk food I can return to just very occasionally.
It's good to look at what you eat , or your Diet , and see if you need to make any changes that will improve your health and weight overall.Finding a sustainable, nutritious , healthy Diet for Life , on which you allow yourself the occasional treat , works in the long term to help your general health.
This can be very individual depending on your overall tastes and health requirements, food should still feel like a treat even if it's healthy not like torture or you end up getting guilty about your choices and Yoyoing your food choices and in weight in a negative , unhealthy way : Food is for Mind and well as Body.
Overall , with most long term health conditions , including AF and other heart problems , your Diet for Life and other Self Care changes like activity , exercise, reducing stress by balancing and pacing your day, and good sleep , all work hand in hand with your Medical care needs.
It isn't a replacement for medications or treatments when you need them or are in an active episode of AF.
People can have led a very healthy lifestyle and always ate a nutritious , sensible diet , have a normal BMI, have not smoked and seldom drank or been teatotal and still have AF.
Getting rid of any negative effects that your diet can have can reduce the chances of your food intake triggering more episodes, just as getting your Stress levels and the pace of your exercise right can do the same.
Self Care isn't a "cure" it's part of good management just as appropriate Medical care and medications ,if and when they are required are, are part of that management.
Some people , depending on the cause of their AF or type of AF they have, may find that a medical procedure and change in lifestyle can stop AF returning long term, and diet and lifestyle choices help with that, but for some people AF will return ,or is an ongoing condition in their lives which changes of diet and lifestyle can help too, but not on their own.
Radical restrictive Diets are better avoided for long term health conditions or weight loss . You shouldn't remove full food groups from your daily diet unless they have a negative impact on your health , like fatty processed foods , artificial sweeteners , saturated fats and too much sugar or salt, or, you have been been definitively diagnosed to have intolerances to those foods , like wheat, gluten , dairy or certain sugars. It's why it's a sensible proactive step to consult your doctor or health care provider , have your vitamin , mineral , cholesterol and diabetes range checked with blood tests, find out if you have any intolerances if you think that is a factor , and get help and advice before launching into a radical diet regime , no matter how well advertised or praised it is as the new best thing or a natural cure.
A sustainable, nutrient rich Mediterranean style Diet including lean proteins and dairy or dairy alternatives if you require it , lots of fruit and vegetables , nuts and grains, sensible small portions of complex carbohydrates rather than simple "white carbs" , with good fats rather than saturated ones , sensible portion sizes, no artificial sweeteners , and good hydration is the basic model that can adapt to most tastes and chronic health problems.
If you can cope with the odd glass of alcohol then have the occasional glass , if it triggers you or you can't stick to the odd glass , leave it out. The same is true for people whom like an occasional coffee or slice of cake. Allowing yourself the occasional small treat keeps you motivated to keep on a healthy path. See healthy tasty foods as treats not just the naughty foods, that's something that happens in time if you don't feel like that already.
I have other diet restrictions because AF isn't my only health issue , but my Diet for Life still follows the same rules. Varied , Healthy, Simple , Water regularly ( we are basically houseplants with more complex feelings and machinery!) , small portions more often rather than three heavy laden meals.
If you need to sustainably lose weight at some point , it really is a matter of the 3 P's, Patience , Persistence and Portion Control , as weight loss at its simplest is found by using more energy in your activities than you consume each day. Gradual weight loss using a usual sensible diet and smaller portions with regular exercise within your comfort zone might take more time but it also lasts .
Good luck with finding what works for you, take care , Bee
Diagnosed.....2020...took about 9 months to fully get my head around it, cut down alcohol , fizzy drinks ,takeaways and ready meals..........2021 stopped alcohol ,coffee ,fizzy drinks, takeaways ,processed meals. Since 2021 eat fruit everyday etc. usually breakfast, light lunch and meal around 5pm, whole meal bread all that sort of stuff........drink average 6 pints water everyday. Try to be physically active , walks etc. Results..........about 3 stone weight loss , PAF episodes are in the main less dramatic and less frequent , feel better mentaly and physically .Basicaly the diagnosis got me to clean up my act...bit late at 71+ .
Its not easy ,especially not drinking as its so ingrained in our lives socially, i still meet mates and family in pubs, i just dont drink alcohol. Took my mates a while to get their heads around this but a couple have also cut back....or is that because i aint dragging them out for a drink😂. As a biker its unusual not to be drinking alcohol.
Godd luck.
• in reply toninks01
There are so many good non-alcohol drinks around now, that a lot of the younger generation are opting for them. I have never had an issue, I might have a small glass of champers at a special family 'do' but normal every day is just water, tea-( don't drink coffee or I"d have to have a piece of cake or biscuit with it!) or maybe Elderflower presse or lemon and barley water. Cawston Press also do some nice non sweet cans, although recently read that fizzy drinks aren't good for tummy troubles. Without becoming a monk or a nun, not sure what else to do!
Dollcollector• in reply to
Herbal drinks are nice, hot or cold.
ninks01• in reply to
Like many others say....it is changing "life style" seems to have the most effect and of course, taking the prescribed meds, which i hate doing. I do believe the "vagel" nerve and the gut has a lot of impact on AF but again without much evidence , mentioned it a couple times to GP and i get te eyes rolling look.
Do you take medicine for the AF as well? Thanks.
Yep......sotalol 80mg twice a day and dabigatran 110 twice a day...
started on bisoprophol after about 5 weeks of feeling like a zombie the cardiologist switched to sotalol, since then not too bad..........have never been a big meds taker, so this was a big change.
What were the changes in your health? Thanks.
I don't drink alcohol any more apart from two glasses with a large meal when out at a restaurant. I avoid Chinese food and spicy stuff like the plague as monosodium glumate is no friend of AF. I switched to almost no meat and lots of healthy vegetables years ago, but not sure it made much difference to AF, but lots to general health. Magnesium supplement tablets were one thing which made a huge difference. Since last summer I have been making home made ginger beer with ginger root and a minimal amount of sugar. Two small glasses a day has worked wonderfully on gut inflammation and feelings of nausea. I eat far more fruit now, especially home grown kiwis, apples and anything I can get. Breakfast is sheep's yoghurt, far better apparently than the cow's stuff, and a large bowl of muesli with added oat bran.
So far, so good. It is keeping me reasonably healthy and my AF is mostly under control symptomatically though I am told it is permanent AF.
I’ve cut out most processed foods eat smaller portions a lot more salad reduced alcohol intake cut down the amount of cheese and red meat. Lost an awful lot of weight weight. Feel absolutely fantastic but still in AF. What I found is that my blood pressure has gone down and I’m capable of dealing with the boats of AF a lot better than I used to, but it hasn’t cued it at all
How much has it reduced Af and do you take medicine? Thanks.
I haven't changed my diet as, luckily, I enjoy eating healthily, including a good amount of fresh whole foods. My struggles are a fondness for sugar and too little exercise but I’m lucky to be reasonably slim.
I have never found any good quality evidence that, in general, age-related cardiac arrhythmias respond to dietary changes, and can't imagine, scientifically, how they would. I imagine most result from a mix of long-term cardiovascular changes and genetics. They are, I gather, strongly linked to high blood pressure and sugar levels as well as thyroid issues and sleep apnoea, all of which must be addressed where possible. Coffee is often cited as a trigger, but has never been shown to be, except in a few people sensitive to caffeine, which is no surprise, really; excessive alcohol consumption, especially binge drinking, is also a cause and a trigger - again, no surprise. Moderation in everything, eh?!
Steve
Hormones are my trigger. Got my first attack of PAF when hyperthyroid. Then some over the years much later, even when slightly hypothyroid. And went into permanent AF when on high dose intravenous cortisone for thyroid eye disease. Food never a trigger for me. Genetics too, my mother and sister both have thyroid and AF.
I’ve come to believe that genetics at least inclines us to much of the ill health we suffer, or at least it predisposes us to illnesses if other circumstances exist (for example, some smokers get away about free whereas others succumb).
Steve
Steve
No change ......no change
well, as I suddenly became T2 dire betic I went low carb, not changed PA F. I also have the genetic disorder Haemochromatisis which can be the cause of heart & dire betes
A man went to his GP and asked-will I live to be 80?
Well the GP said, it depends,
Do you do risky sports-No
Do you drink alcohol- No
Do you drive a fast car-No
Do you ski offpiste-I don't ski at all
Do you have a job which could be seen as dangerous-No
Do you eat pizza, takeaways, fried foods, etc-No.
What about spicy food-No
Do you have a good relationship with your wife-I'm not married
Well, said the GP-
why the h*** would you WANT to live to 80?
Inflammation and toxins, particularly via alcohol and sugar, can cause changes to the physiology of your cells, it’s going to be a huge area of research. I don’t think I’d take them now, but one of the apparent benefits of statins is they reduce inflammation. I have read some papers, on Medscape, which get into the science of how these cell changes cause AF.
My wise EP professor gave me a big steer to reduce alcohol intake, they know the effects it has on your system …..my v exp ward sister said not to worry about giving up tea/coffee….just do everything in moderation and have a healthy diet with no processed food and minimal alcohol and sugar…
Whether lifestyle changes can undo the damage done over years i don’t know, but I think they may be able to stabilise your situation and give your body and vital organs the best chance of keeping health problems at bay for the years to come….
What has been the effect of your changes on your overall health and AF? Thanks.
Well, I had a cryoblation 18 months ago and I’m still in NSR. It makes you feel lighter, fitter, fresher……
Thanks for your comments. I still think it is amazing how people thousands of miles separated can communicate like this!!
It’s such a personal thing as we all react differently. It’s trial and error to investigate what tends to make AF rear its ugly head. Changing things help, but does not cure AF. I found the thing that helped me most was supplementing with Vitamin B, Vitamin D and Magnesium. For me there was a marked improvement, but one size does not fit all.
Why do you feel that AF cannot be cured? How much was the AF improved with your supplements? How much do you take and do you take medicine? Thanks.
I don’t think changing my diet reduced the number of boats of PAF, but what it did was affected the response to it. My heart rate was never as high once I change my diet and lost weight, and my blood pressure remained an awful lot lower than it used to as well, so losing weight and changing diet, even though it didn’t stop the app or reduce it. It was still of great benefit I take flecanide daily Apixaban i’m now in permanent AF flecanide no longer words for me, and I’m under test as to find out why
How long have you taken Flecanide? How long after the diagnosis did you begin your dietary changes? Thanks.
I was getting Afib events every two weeks. I knew that trapped stomach gas was the trigger.
I saw a GI and found that I have celiac disease, I stopped all gluten-containing foods. (I had already eschewed alcohol and excess gas-producing vegetables and fruits.)
In the past 14 months I have had Afib 5 times: 2 times after eating something that was not gluten free, once from sleep apnea and 2 times while having Covid.
Thanks. How much weight did you lose? Especially what percentage of your original weight did you lose? How long did it take you to lose the weight?
I lost 35 lbs. I went from 230 to 195. I know this helped relieve the Afib also.
I exercise an hour every night by walking fairly briskly. On alternate nights, I also lift weights (50 lbs - 160 times)
I still take anti-gas pills and Pepto-Bismoll daily as needed.
Do you think the Afib is Vagal? Thanks.
I had a pretty healthy diet before my AFIB, no other health issues, very active…BUT the trigger for my first episode was a large red meat meal far too late in the evening. I have reduced portion sizes, and especially ensure I have a normal breakfast and lunch, but light supper around 5 PM. No issues …except 1 minor 20 minute one…because I didn’t follow my supper rule lol. Diltiazem 180 and Xeralto. No issues with the drugs. If you feel like crap on your meds, tell them to try something else. You shouldn’t suffer.
So you have had only one episode since diagnosis? How long ago was diagnosis? Have you cut out gluten? Thanks.
Yes, almost 3 years ago…sent me to emerg with HR of 168…took all night to bring it down. Nadda since…except one brief incident (also food induced) about 4 months ago, and I also blame it partially on the fact that my Doc asked if I would want to reduce the dosage from 180 to 120, I said sure, because I was worried my HR wasn’t high enough for the workouts I was doing. I went back to 180 and all is good.
I have no issues with gluten or other foods.
As pill in the pocket since I was diagnosed as a daily dose since last November and it has Work change my diet more or less after being diagnosed the weight loss resulted in my heart rate during episodes of AF coming down by about 30 bpm. They were originally close to 200 but never exceeded 180 after I lost weight.
I cut back on alcohol - one beer on Friday night and one beer on Saturday night. Oddly, I have lost my taste for alcohol and rarely finish the one beer. I also have had an ablation and no afib since then (August 2022).
I adopted Dr Esselstyn's whole-food, plant based, no salt-oil-sugar (confession... I use a little low-salt soy sauce because I like the unami and have low-BP) and focus on eating green leafy vegetables to support my endothelial & cardiovascular health. Over the course of a decade, I dropped 120 lbs/55 kg/8.6 st and now have a 24 BMI and a waist-ht ratio of 0.48) . BP is 105/55, resting HR 35-40 BPM. Lipids & triglycerides are in range and hCRP shows no inflammation.
I was nearly off all meds till I had AFib and a successful cardioäblation and I'm in the process of withdrawing metoprolol again (6.25 mg qd), and currently sustaining valsartan (40 mg qd), eliquis (5 mg bid). I work summers in a mountain camp kitchen and hike peaks 10,000-15,000 ft/3,000-3,500 m. The rest of the year, I walk 5 mi/8 km per day.
The thing that has amazed me is my cardiologist is telling me that I've taken him to uncharted territory as a Px as I've clawed back 15-25 % ejection fraction (from 30-35% to 50-55%) and *reduced* scar tissue in my ventricle-septum... he's never had a Px accomplish this much heart disease reversal.
While I can't prove the scar tissue disappearance is due to my adoption of Valter Longo's Fasting Mimicking Diet, I intentionally adopted the discipline because the regimen has been clinically shown to induce autophagy and stem cell generation. Correlation isn't necessarily causation, but even if my heart isn't benefited by fasting autophagy-rejuvenation, lots of other organs (liver, kidney, visceral fat, endothelium) are.
After weighing above 330 lbs/150 kg/23.6 st (my scale couldn't record greater weights), I'm at 215 lbs/97 kg/15 st and able to wear the uniforms I was commissioned in 40 years ago.
I'll close that while I had to be very intentional about transforming my diet and exercise, when things were difficult, I used this mantra... 'nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.' At this point, I fully expect to live healthfully into my 80s-90s and possibly beyond
Thank you for your reply and good information. I will investigate all your information.
Did you get Afib AFTER you began your change of diet? Thanks. I think this is the first time I had ever heard of Valter Longo. Why do you think your ejection fraction improved? The diet? Did you have heart failure before the appearance of Afib?
I had a massive heart attack 11½ years ago... was just about to celebrate a decade when I had AFib arise at the 9½ yr mark. EF dropped to 30-35% and I was passing out climbing a flight of 10 stairs.
I've eaten SOS-free whole food vegan since I discovered Dr Caldwell Esselstyn's 'Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease', so yes, AFib occurred long after my diet change. That said, all my Drs say that my diet is powerfully heart friendly and sustaining.
Had my cardioäblation 8 months after AFib arose and only one AFib recurrence within a month of the ablation in the two years since. I credit the ablation for the improved EF but I suspect (can't prove) that FMD has led to reduced ventricle scarring... the ablation was done no where near where the scar tissue is. I intentionally lost another 30-35 lbs to foster a better environment to discourage a recurrence of AFib.
My lead cardiologist has always managed my heart under HFrEF protocols, but has had to shift over to HFpEF with my recently recovered EF.
Hope I answered all your questions
HI PrinzMongo. I too had a massive heart back in 2009. Have just recently been diagnosed with AF. Along with that, had some swelling in my feet and ankles, was told it was from heart failure from the AF. My EF is preserved, so it is the diastolic type. Currently taking bisoprolol 5 mgs. along with furosemide 40 mgs to keep swelling down and also xarelto 20 mgs. I was taking metoprolol at 75 mgs. twice a day, but complained of anxiety and sleep issues, so doctor switched me to 5 mgs. once a day of the bisoprolol, that was 6 days ago, however not much has changed for me, still have same anxiety symptoms and sleep issues even though doctor said that bisoprolol was a better medicine and better tolerated.
Sorry to hear of your progression... I was on beta blocker, ACE inhibitor (lisinopril), anticoagulant (Effient), and beta blocker (metoprolol) when AFib arose. Switched ACE inhibitor to ARB (valsartan) to get half of Entresto (sacubitril-valsartan) which insurance company denied me for. That wasn't sufficient and digoxin was added to the cocktail to try to strengthen ventricle contractions & increase blood flow and really wasn't helping before I went to telemetered cardio rehab facility. There, my heart was measured going to 240 bpm under light loads which is what convinced the insurance company I had serious problems and needed cardioäblation.
The cardioäblation did the trick for me and I've been working at 7,000 ft I the mountains for the past two summers and hiking at 10,000-11,500 ft on 12-14 hr, 20 mile hikes in the San Bernardino mountains... only one early transient Afib recurrence. I don't know near enough to recommend yes/no to you, but would recommend discussing with an electrophysiologist (EP). I consulted two EPs before finding the one I felt comfortable with.
Re: dreaming... with higher doses of metoprolol, I was having unpleasant dreams and triggering guilt-anger from when I was forced out of teaching 20 yrs ago. I lucidly dream so I had some control over images, so it was unpleasant but not debilitating. Since titrating down to 1/8 my previous dose, disturbing dreams are much subsided
Thank you for your post. However there were several abbreviations that I did not understand: SOS, FMD, HFrEF protocols, HFpEF?
My apologies... you deal with this stuff long enough and the abbreviations become second nature.
SOS - Salt-oil-sugar (usually free-from said)
FMD - Fasting mimicking diet
HFr/pEF - Heart Failure-reduced/preserved-Ejection Fraction
Re: abbreviations...
'World wide web' is abbreviated 'www' which triples the syllable count... go figure.
Also, why is the word 'abbreviation' so dadgum long itself?
Diet seems to be a hot topic! Glad of that.
For me, cutting out sugar and all sweeteners was the basic first step. After the first 4 days or so, my appetite was more normal and choosing what to eat was easier. I didn't do it just for PAF, though, I did it after I found out I had kidney problems too. Also lupus, for 20 years.
I quit being tempted by sweets after about 6 months. I found through a lot of trial and error that I had to cut out almost all grains (and gluten) to get down to a normal weight- I've always gained weight easily.
I also do various exercise things, which are quite important too.
Its 3 years later, and I feel quite well and calm, no afib in a year, kidney numbers are good, lupus in remission, normal weight, reduced all meds. I'm always a little anemic because I still make antibodies to my red blood cells (from lupus) but I feel better than I have in years,
Thank you for your reply and good information. After you reformed your diet, how soon was it that you began to see an improvement in your health, especially AF? How much weight did you lose? Perhaps percentage of original body weight?
I didn’t change my diet per se, we’re pretty much vegetarians to begin with (though there’s plenty of unhealthy vegetarian food!). I try to keep the unhealthy fats low and eat whole foods. What I’ve tried to do is be more diligent about “lifestyle” overall. Cardiac exercise, weight training (I struggle with this), more sleep. My EP recommends sleep, exercise, healthy food and lots of water. My really weak spot is wine! On a recent travel day, I didn’t have enough sleep, had had a bit too much wine 3 nights running. Boy, did I pay for that! 4 hours in tachycardia, 2 of those on an airplane flight. Ughhh…..
I had a bit of a shock last March, when a GP surgery checkup revealed that I had high cholesterol and high BP. This was in addition to my existing AF, which at the time was very infrequent and easily managed with the very occasional dose of Flecainide PIP. To try and lower my cholesterol, I immediately changed my diet to low salt, low saturated fat, as recommended on the BHF website. I lost 5kg, my cholesterol level fell nicely, but my BP remains too high. And worst of all, my episodes of AF became much more frequent and much more nasty. They went from two or three a year, to one every fortnight, and now I’m on the waiting list for an ablation. So for me the change in diet that aimed to fix one ‘problem’ I was not even aware of seems to have led to a far worse problem that is badly impacting on my life. I’m not a doctor and I don’t offer any advice, I’m just sharing my personal experience.
I had a heart at tack 5 years ago. The first thing I did was overhaul our diet. My husband was brought up on pies and fries so they were the first to go. I stopped buying cakes and biscuits, cut out everything like crisps then I cut right down on red meat and replaced it with chicken and fish ( I HATE fish so that was the hardest). I h ave never bought ready meals or takeaways, don't eat pizza or drink alcohol. That was in the November. I didn't notice any difference but when I got my summer clothes out around April, all my skirts literally fell off so I got on the scales. Not something I 've ever bothered about. I'd lost over 2 stone. WHen I next saw my GP he noticed how much I'd lost and became concerned I may have cancer so he ran a lot of test s. I hadn't- it was simply the diet change. After about 2 years little bits of naughty stuff started creeping in; a few biscuits, two packets of crisps a week, fish and chips once every 3 months or so. As long as such things are not a constant part of your diet I think everyone needs a treat sometimes.
How did the diet change alter your health especially the Afib? Thanks.
I don't have AF but I do have a frequent arrhythmia. Diet has had no effect on that at all. The weight loss obviously improved my mobility but regarding heart, no obvious difference except that I'm still here after 5 yrs with an ejection fraction of 60 and my medication has been reduced rather than increased.
What medicine do you take and why did they reduce it if the diet made no difference? Thanks.
Goodness it was 5 years ago. I can't remember what I was on after the Heart attack. BIsopralol and clopidogrel were both stopped as was furosemide plus the standard whatever they give for angina, I can't remember the rest. I didn't mean the diet made no difference. I guess it must have but it made no difference that was noticeable to me. I had 7 tablets in all on top of my oxycodone and paracetamol. I now only take aspirin, a statin and famotidine to protect my stomach. The arrhythmia only started 2 years ago. I was given something last October starting with D to supposedly regulate it but I was allergic to it so I just put up with the arrhythmia and wait for it to stop.
Hi
Well, less meds dosage. 125mg Synthroid dropped from adding 25mg x 4 times a month to reducing by 25mg 4 times month. re: Ca Thyroidectomy.
Diltiazem 120mg had my H/Rate Day at 86-96 and after losing 3kg now 6kg H/Rate controlled better at 60s Day H/Rate.
Feel much improved in walking about.
Still may sleep 1-2 hours late afternoon and then at night 7-8 hours.
I feel refreshed and ready for next day.
I was creeping up from 93kg sometimes 95kg and now 87kg down to 86kg. I'm female, 75 years, 1.7m.
Just travelled to Aucland 3-4 hours so I took a o/night in Whangarei. Then o/night Auckland. Over to Coromandel 3 hours 3 nights, Miranda NZMCA 5D, 2 nights Takapuna seaview, 2 nights Whangarei again freedom camp in my SC camper and home late afternoon.
Saw my children, grandchildren and over Coromandel great grand children. Great Gran Nana got around.
Now discharged ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON and told by DENTIST I have No.1 crown to have. Others as they are needed!
HOME SWEET HOME> Relax. Better change out of my soft relaxing striped lightly nightie!
Losing weight is gresat. I drink A1 milk now, sourdough bread and keep quantity down. But I eat Low Fat anyway.
cheri JOY. 75. (NZ)
Re diets and AF , for me it was all about lifestyle and changing a few things permanently ,
I lost weight when diagnosed with AF almost 7 years ago 10% of my body weight and I have not put the weight back on.
I switched my main meal to lunch time and just have a snack at about 5pm including Kafir then nothing else but water till morning. This means unlike when having a meal in the evening as I used to do , I am not sitting around afterwards but active.
I have always eaten healthily growing some vegetables and fruit ,making my own whole meal bread and cooking from scratch . I cut out wine and any additives remaining and ate smaller meals . Luckily I love healthy foods, nuts not chocolate are my go to treat.
I don’t eat or drink between meals except for water with a slice of lemon which fools the nose into thinking you are having something more exciting ,
TracyAdminPartner
Hello, I can see many members have offered some great ideas based upon their own experiences.
If you would like any further advice, please feel free to contact our Patient Services Team; heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...
Many find that by following a good well balanced diet is a good idea, avoid heavy carb meals before bedtime and keeping yourself hydrated, you will find some advice in our 'AF & You' booklet available to download from our website: api.heartrhythmalliance.org...
booklet
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