rice a trigger for anyone?: Hi. Seems... - Atrial Fibrillati...

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rice a trigger for anyone?

nominingue profile image
23 Replies

Hi. Seems to be (a new) one for me, 3 (paroxysmal) episodes in past month, a high rate for me, each time preceded by a meal which included white rice.

I also recall having a spate of 3 in a month that followed brown rice pasta suppers.

I'm wondering whether it's the (potential) presence of arsenic in the rice which could be the trigger.

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nominingue profile image
nominingue
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23 Replies
CDreamer profile image
CDreamer

Good thought - I wrote a post about this a few years ago after reading an article detailing which types of rice and where they are grown will have higher concentrations of arsenic. I’ll see if I can find it.

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer

Here you go:-

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

Outsidethelines profile image
Outsidethelines in reply toCDreamer

Thanks for sharing this, CDreamer. It has shocked me to the core. I thought I was pretty clued in about nutrition, I knew you weren’t supposed to reheat rice, but I had literally never heard about rice containing arsenic! It’s given me a lot of food for thought - pun intended. I’m gluten intolerant, and most gluten-free products tend to contain rice as a substitute for wheat. Im going to have to do a lot more label reading and research in future😊

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer in reply toOutsidethelines

It is so incredibly difficult to avoid many things if you buy ready food - I am trying to find bread without emulsifiers - almost impossible without going to an artisan bakery who is certified and there are very few around. I used to make my own but have not the time/energy or space these days. All our local bakeries now only sell sourdough but my husband still craves the soft dough he can make sandwiches out of!

I now don’t worry about gluten as such as my gut issues do seem to have improved but I am very particular about the types of grains used in bread. My step-daughter bought me an Irish Soda Bread kit - I make my own soda bread anyway as it’s really quick and easy but even that had nasties in it!

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly in reply toCDreamer

Why don’t you get a bread maker? My daughter bought one recently and was taken aback to see that the accompanying recipe had half gluten free recipes but if you’ve ever eaten commercial gf bread you’ll know why! One of my daughters is now coeliac so I am going to get my trusty bread machine out of the cupboard and experiment.

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer in reply toBuffafly

Had one but when we moved I had to get rid as tiny kitchen. Also cannot make sourdough in bread maker. Soda bread is really easy & tasty & doesn’t use commercial yeasts.

Outsidethelines profile image
Outsidethelines in reply toBuffafly

Yes, it looks like bread makers have come a very long way in recent years. My cousin, who’s also gluten intolerant, makes really tasty gluten-free loaves in hers. I balk at the expense, but on the other hand I resent buying anything as processed as a shop loaf. I feel like I may have to make a bread maker my next luxury purchase.

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly in reply toOutsidethelines

Like CD I moved to a home with a tiny kitchen but plenty of other storage so my ‘coat cupboard’ is kitted out to hold my kitchen overflow amongst other things. I shall use my bread maker on a trolley in the hall 😀

MarkS profile image
MarkS

You can drive yourself mad trying to find connections between food/drink and AF. I know, I spent years trying to find them, managed to convince myself of links to a particular food only to be foiled at the next AF episode where I had eaten something entirely different. I'm now in permanent AF (which I don't notice) so my search has ceased.

babs1234 profile image
babs1234

well they say you learn something everyday. I had no idea my rice was poisoned 😱 no wonder Cancer is in the increase. I’ve always said it’s in the food chain

Leechg profile image
Leechg

Was there any chilli in the pasta dish. If I eat anything spicy now it seems to warm up my throat and stomach and along comes a bit of AF. Vagal nerve perhaps.

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly

It’s more likely to be something in the accompanying food causing the issue.

TillyBoss profile image
TillyBoss

I think it has to do with expansion of the stomach

Jetcat profile image
Jetcat

when we digest carbs it’s turned into sugar by our bodies so it could be the blood sugar spike.?

Ppiman profile image
Ppiman

I’d guess some kind of bloating effect might be responsible whereby the heart becomes irritated a little by the stomach pressing the diaphragm against it. This is a known cause of PACs (palpitations) and these can trigger AF.

Steve

nominingue profile image
nominingue in reply toPpiman

Sounds perfectly plausible. Not much one can do unfortunately.

Popepaul profile image
Popepaul

I concur with the point made by Ppiman above. Starchy food may cause bloating, increased atopics and possible afib. I try to avoid bread potatoes rice and pasta. I think I have about a 50% chance of afib if I eat a modest portion. A large portion of white starch will definately bring on an episode for me.

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer

Agree about starchy foods but that doesn’t get away from be REALLY careful with rice and use white over whole and soak and rinse very, very well. Arsnic is in the soil, some rice growing areas are much less toxic than others so if you eat a lot of rice you need to be careful.

The Indian community in UK take very good care and that’s how I originally was alerted to the problem.

DawnTX profile image
DawnTX

I know rice can be an issue, including it being cooked and sitting there for any length of time. I love rice, especially sticky rice. I have found a way to take care of my cravings because there is a brand that comes in little bowls that you microwave so it is a big enough portion with no leftovers.

I know they talk about problems with rice, but I doubt there is anyone out there that has not reheated or left it for longer than we should and I’ve never really heard anything bad. I will continue eating my rice. Sometimes my stomach just really bothers me and rice is go to that I find helpful.

maybe it is gluten etc. some way that the rice is breaking down in your system. It sounds like you’re better off to just keep away from it. I love ice cream however I still get flutter if I eat it I think it’s the coldness of it believe it or not. I’m not sure it’s like an ice cream headache only in my chest. I swear I can feel when the cold hits down near my heart. It could be my imagination I don’t know, but it’s pretty silly if I keep doing it. are you sure you’re not over eating meal with the rice? The reason I ask is I have the worst effect when I go out for Japanese food which of course has rice. It’s also so good that I have trouble not eating all of it even though I try to take half home. Between that and my Thai tea by the time I get to the car, I am feeling flutter sometimes worse, although not so much now with the pacemaker plus behavior modification.

we could guess and travel to the moon and back and have no answer because like so many things we are different about what bothers us and off a lot is trial and error and if you find something and it does it more than once, I don’t believe it’s a coincidence best of luck I hope you don’t love rice like I do

nominingue profile image
nominingue in reply toDawnTX

Thanks Dawn. There are a good many things that i love or used to love that I don't eat or drink anymore,! Part of aging I guess and the limits that puts on you at several levels, the physical in particular.

DawnTX profile image
DawnTX in reply tonominingue

Absolutely you have to decide how badly you I have a feelings are not gonna damage but they still don’t feel good. I don’t know if people realize that a fib if you end up with tachycardia, what does damage and can put you into heart failure. That’s my concern. Usually, I can just shrug off the feelings of a fib and flutter which by the way anyone that doesn’t know, we still get the feelings with a pacemaker we just don’t have more damage. In fact, my heart failure has reversed not perfect, but much better

some people on here have stated they will still have their liquor, etc. that’s up to them. We are all here for me. I just don’t like the feelings I get when I have something that doesn’t agree with my heart so I would rather skip it there’s many other things I can have instead

best of luck it sounds like you definitely have it when it comes to the right things to do.

Sustainedvtach270 profile image
Sustainedvtach270

I only brown rice, it is gluten-free.

garymachobird profile image
garymachobird

Did you check for MSG? My AFIB is always triggered when I consume food with MSG. I always ask at restaurants and read labels on store-bought foods.

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