Food to be avoided in Atrial Fibrillation

Do you know that your heart has chambers inside it? Yes, it has. The atria (singular-atrium) are the two upper chambers of the heart. They have a normal rhythm of pumping. However, sometimes this rhythm is interrupted because of unnatural electrical impulses. This leads to the irregular and faster heartbeat – a condition called atrial fibrillation.

Doctors will prescribe medications that can keep this condition under check. If you want to increase the efficacy of the medicines and prevent the conditioning from worsening, then you would need to stop consuming these food/drinks-

• Alcohol

If you have had a paroxysmal atrial fibrillation attack, alcohol can actually bring out more attacks. Researchers found that alcohol also increases the frequency of fibrillation episodes, which increases the risk of heart attacks and diabetes.

• Caffeine

When you drink coffee, your body starts to produce the stress hormone cortisol, which ups your blood pressure and in response, your heart starts beating faster. A little caffeine is actually good for your health but consumed in excess, it can lead to atrial fibrillation episodes.

• Salt (sodium chloride)

Salt elevates your blood pressure and hence is directly responsible for atrial fibrillation. Many types of foods like processed, fried, frozen and fast food contain lots of salt. Steer clear from them. When you buy packaged food, read the label at the back. As for cooking, use herbs or rock salt instead of regular salt.

• Gluten

Gluten leads to obesity and obesity is a leading cause of atrial fibrillation. It is present in bread, pasta, baked goods like cakes or cookies. So remember to restrict your consumption of gluten.

• Sugar

Several studies have long established that sugar raises your blood pressure level significantly. Moreover, sugar makes the liver dump toxic waste into the blood, which makes its way to the heart and leads to an irregular heartbeat.

• Trans fats

Trans fats harm your heart by overturning the healthy ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. It triggers the production of LDL (bad cholesterol) and inhibits the secretion of HDL (good cholesterol). Not only do trans fats make you susceptible to type 2 diabetes, but can cause palpitations and atrial fibrillation. Therefore, you need to avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, baked and deep-fried foods.

Atrial fibrillation need not thwart your daily routine. With the right diet, you can win the battle against this disorder.