l have paroxysmal AF and recently been getting more episodes. I recently had a blood test, via my GP, to determine the function of my heart. I had my results come through, to my NHS app., late on 24th May, the start of the bank holiday weekend, so have been unable to speak to anyone at my surgery. My electrolytes have come back as abnormal as well as my liver function test. How much abnormal l don’t know as unable to determine this myself from the readings. I have never had a problem before. I have a balanced, nutritious diet, based on my needs, as l have a hiatus hernia. I am aware that unsweetened coconut water is beneficial, but how much do l drink in a day please? Any other tips for this would be gratefully received as l am a born worrier.
Electrolyte advice please.: l have... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Electrolyte advice please.
You can buy electrolyte replacement sachets and drinks but I prefer to use foods and ensure my diet is rich in micronutrients which supply electrolytes.
My favourite is liquidised water melon, topped up with natural coconut water. Foods rich in electrolytes are:-
Potassium: Bananas, beet greens, salmon, white beans, avocado, potatoes, milk, mushrooms.
Sodium: Dill pickles, clams, table salt, cheese, dry-roasted sunflower seeds.
Magnesium: Spinach, pumpkin seeds, lima beans, tuna, brown rice, almonds.
My mantra is eat the rainbow and eat at least 30 different foods per week and if you do that you should get all the electrolytes you require.
A couple of weeks ago I awoke in AF and realised I was dehydrated so went immediately for my liquidised water melon, episode stopped within 30 mins. You do need to balance hydration and electrolyte intake.
I often take a home made smoothie as breakfast which will contain apple, water melon, broccoli or spinach, any fruits in the fridge that need eating up, sunflower seeds, banana, quarter of a lemon, quarter teaspoon of dried ginger and yogurt. The advantage of liquidising is you can get a little of a lot of plants into one drink and hence the gamut of electrolytes. Makes enough for 2-3 glasses of which one glass should be sufficient to supply most of your electrolyte needs.
Thank you CDreamer that is very helpful. I have most of the foods you mention, but not much milk so maybe l will up that and other dairy products. I know it is important to have these in sync. and is probably the reason l am having AF more frequently. I also woke up this morning with AF. I have a mug of warm boiled water to start the day followed with oatmeal to take my Warfarin. I will make some smoothies. Thanks for your valuable information as always.
I don’t take milk but I’m OK with yogurt. Interestingly I can’t take oatmeal, too rich in carbs which can upset my stomach and possibility of triggering AF. I used to take it to lower cholesterol but now am very careful.
It’s all very complex with the individual isn’t it CD? Trial and error with the minuscule ingredient. I think l am transitioning into persistent AF. My GP has put me on Digoxin from today. AF never ceases to make me feel down, but that is what this monster does to us. Thank you for that information, it all helps in evaluating ourselves. I was jogging along nicely, but now l feel as if l am back to square one. Thanks, you are always so helpful to everyone.
did you check your Vit D, magnesium and CoQ10 levels mine were all low and since supplementing for 10 months have noticed a huge difference with hardly any ectopics. Due for bloods in August so will be interesting to see what my levels are.
Yes, l have supplemented and like yourself it helped with the AF. I don’t quite know what is going on at the moment, but l have stomach issues which have probably interfered with my vitamin absorption. Thanks for reply.
I’d say that’s what’s happened, also some vitamins are fat soluble so for best absorption I normally gulp a desert spoon of olive oil or teaspoon of peanut butter with them
I drink about 250 ml or quarter and I take electrolyte tablets from Holland and Barrett with are handy
depends how abnormal. I would be reassured that if any of them very out of range your GP or out of hours would have picked this up (alerted by the computer/labs)
It says abnormal if just one point is out , clinically would have no or very, very little difference.
Good luck , it’s all scary stuff
Thanks for that. I have been quite worried and it’s bank holiday so no one to ask.
It’s scary sometimes and dispute the best efforts health services under strain.
BW
From one born worrier to another... You'll need to contact the surgery, I am afraid. The cause of electrolyte abnormalities isn't usually from what you eat but from what you are able to absorb, or possibly from drugs you are taking. If you are taking long term PPI drugs such as esomeprazole (as I do), these can interfere, for example, with magnesium and calcium.
There are many possibilities but the by far and away the chances are it is minor and of no consequence. Still - a call will resolve it tomorrow.
Steve
Thanks Steve.
It's a life, though, isn't it? I'm having major increases in palpitations these days, especially in the evenings when watching TV trying to relax!
Steve
Yes, l am having a big relapse right now. Palpitations most days, for about an hour, together with chest pain (scary). I am going to see my GP on 6th June. I think l need some further investigation. I do take PPI’s and have done so for many years. I have just had a phone consultation with a Gastroenterologist who is going to change my meds. Argh! Omeprazole doesn’t seem to be doing it for me. I have tried this before, without success, but he is going to put me on two different drugs (don’t know what they are as l have a slight hearing problem). He is going to write to my GP. I am fearful of a rebound effect, but l will try. I will keep you informed as l know you worry about this, as l do. I hope you soon settle down. There seems no answer does there? I think A/E are absolutely fed up with me. Thanks for your help and take care.
I’ll be most interested to find out what he gives you. I tried a few few years ago with poor results and an eventual return to the fold. I saw a GI specialist, too, and he was not averse to PPIs at all, singing their praises for the success they’ve had in preventing various other acid-related diseases of the stomach and oesophagus.
Steve
I agree Steve. My GP said you can get serious things wrong with not taking these meds. Which, of course, is true. So we are between a rock and a hard place. All l know is that l need help with my severe stomach issues, which l believe contribute to my arythmias. I get palpitations after l eat at times. There must be a connection. Dr. Gupta said in one of his videos that stomach and vagal nerve issues cause arythmia and that the heart is not the cause. Perhaps one day they will get to the bottom of all this. It is so complex.
We share so much symptom wise, Ruby. I’ve always wondered what the link was but these days I tend towards thinking the heart issues affect the blood supply to that general area and upset the diaphragm and stomach rather than the other way round. I don’t know though. The cardiologist I see doesn’t accept the idea of irritation of the vagal nerve saying it would give rise to severe bradycardia rather than ectopic beats and AF.
Steve
Well, l had stomach issues many years before AF. I have only had AF for 6 years. When one Cardiologist disagrees with another it leaves us with little confidence, don’t you think? Wide spaces for human error and it’s the patient who suffers. Take care.
Same here - but for four years, although I’ve had palpitations since my mid twenties. Those are of a different order now.
Steve
Read Tarikor’s post on here Steve. Very interesting.
my electrolytes were in the floor . Research on low potassium and one of the symptoms is arrhythmia!! As a previous reply I’ve researched food and now include these in what I thought was already a healthy diet . It has helped a little until this week , I’ve got a virus not the C but it’s kicked me into Afib for the last 12 hrs !!
Hope you are soon feeling better. A virus or infection is always detrimental to us hearties. Takes awhile to settle again. Electrolytes are so important to keep the heart in sync. I have a good balanced diet, but will now have to look into adding more things. Thanks and take care.
Hope your AF is calming down. What medication do you take Shopgal? I have pip bisoprolol. Can’t take it regularly because of low blood pressure. Hope you soon feel better. Xxx
Hi , I’m not on medication at the moment because my PAF was hard to detect it’s been a slow process, I’ve just had a scan and an echo and they came back all good .
I’m paying to see an EP next Friday to see about ablation and or meds ! Both make me nervous.
Hi
8 cups liquid prefer water for males, 6 cups liquid prefer females.
You can make up your own electrolyte drink as water, glucose/honey and lemon. Pinch salt if you fee lacking.
Actually during hard sports longlife milk is best. Research has shown that water is not enough.
Remember that B12 blood test not in normal full blood test, should be tested. Over 65 years should be 500-700 level.
cheri JOY. 75. (NZ)
Thanks for that Joy. I will make up that drink. I have honey and lemon so will go do that now. I cut out dairy for stomach issues, but l feel l must drink some milk. It’s so good for you isn’t it? Take care.
Hi
I love a drink of fresh A2 milk. Not fatty and that cocoa organic in milk in the evening is 'heaven'.
Of course milk is great for you.
cheri JOY.
Thank you so much. I love ice cold milk. Wonderful. Xxx
If you have hiatus hernia, it is likely you ALSO have other gut issues that are currently hidden from the eyes of normal doctors (and even smarter ones too...!!)
Get your gut checked out as all the food in the world that you eat will do you no good if you are not assimilating the nutrients propertly.
Abnormal electrolytes can mean many things, one of which is poor absorption from your food and another that your kidneys are filtering out electrolytes (or retaining them!).
IF you have no kidney issues, what I normally do is to take Magnesium Bisglycinate once a day (300mg should suffice) and when I feel my heart fluttery, I take a tiny pinch of Potassium chloride salt and just put it in my mouth and swish it around with a mouthful of water.
Helps tremendously to avert a full a blow arrhythmia!
Magnesium Chloride liquid can be very helpful as well. Here in Australia, when you go with AF to the emergency department (A&E in the UK), they do not inject you with any drugs at all. Guess what they give you? hehe, MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE in IV.
And guess what? IT BLOODY WORKS 
Shame that neither Germany, the UK, Italy, or Spain even think of giving you this or even mentioning to us AFibbers the power of Magnesium, Potassium, etc. (I have had AFs all over the globe due to my work, I did more "hospital tourism" than anything else really hahaha so if anyone has any questions on what it is like to receive AF treatment in different countries around the world, drop me a question and I will be happy to answer!)
Hope this helps!
Very interesting. Thanks for that info. and taking the time to explain. I will go into that.
In the UK, IV magnesium likely is used by certain doctors but studies are far from conclusive regarding its effectiveness in emergency care of AF with RVR causing cardiac insufficiency. This is an unusual emergency occurrence with AF, of course.
ER use IV magnesium does not translate to oral magnesium in any way at all, which has never been shown to reduce arrhythmias in any worthwhile study so far as I can find - and my, I have looked.
I’ve taken magnesium for years for digestive purposes and still get arrhythmia and AF.
Steve
Oral magnesium is more to deal with nutrional deficiencies rather than avoiding AF altogether. Compared to when I was not taking any Mg, I definitely had both less AF events AND severity of symptoms, so it does work. It is unlikely you will find any studies on oral supplementation as Mg cannot be patented per se, so there is no money in studying it. IV does work and is used in hospitals in Australia. There were another two people in ER next to me also with AF that night I was in and they too were given Mg IV and both cardioverted quite quickly as well. No need for calcium channel blockers or antiarrythmics like Flecainide or Amiodarone.
That makes sense. True magnesium deficiency, to the level of causing dysrhythmia, isn't met with a lot, I believe, however, since all vegetable matter contains the element in good quantities and it is easily absorbed. Some stomach conditions can cause it, I have read, but these are hard to treat with oral salts as the absorption itself is blocked. Occasionally PPI drugs can do this, sadly - something I have to take. So far, luckily, all is well.
Regarding testing magnesium, well, I am lucky to have worked for many years in the pharmaceutical industry and am pleased to say that many clinicians remain keen to study a wide range of common treatments for various illnesses. The funding is easily available for many studies like this from many sources, including charitable. To think otherwise is something my brother believes whatever the truth of the matter, but he has an impenetrable conspiracy mindset, poor chap. I wish magnesium would cure that as he could do with some! 
Magnesium salts have, though, been closely studied over many years. I can't find any consistently useful effect that have been shown to reduce arrhythmias. I wish they did work in my case, but, no. I gather that even in genuine cases of hypomagnesaemia, oral salts are not often effective until the cause of the deficiency is removed. The body is marvellously capable of maintaining electrolyte levels, of course, through homeostasis so for most of us taking extra won't be absorbed anyway as there's a good "bank" of the mineral in the body to be called on as needed.
In AF and other dysrhythmic states it is the substrate of the atrium that changes, often through ageing or genes and I expect that is why taking daily magnesium fails to reverse that. The elixir of youth still eludes us, sadly. Your own success with magnesium is good news and is mirrored by a few here. It's hard, though, to show such success with such an intermittent condition, I should think. I went for nigh on a whole year without AF but - as is the nature of the disease - it's back again.
Steve
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