Atrial fibrillation: The everyday food item ‘significantly’ increasing your risk

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Atrial Fibrillation is a condition of the heart that is characterised by an irregular rhythm. This can put individuals at the perils of three major complications – heart failure, angina and stroke. In fact, AF can increase the risk of stroke fivefold, and double the risk of premature death. While alcohol and caffeine are well-known inducers of AF, one everyday food item may also significantly boost your risk of the condition.

During atrial fibrillation, the heartbeat is rapid and irregular, at 80 to 160 beats per minute, compared to a normal heartbeat of 60 to 100 best per minute.

Symptoms of the condition will vary widely.

“They tend to be more severe in older people and in those who also have structural heart or lung disease,” explains Harvard Health.

“People who are in good health may not even be aware of the arrhythmia. Others notice a fluttering sensation in the chest or a rapid and/or irregular heartbeat.”

READ MORE: Stroke: Eating your fat from a certain food source significantly reduces risk say study

High blood pressure is a strong precursor of AF, and it is widely known that sodium intake has strong ties with hypertension.

Drawing on these associations. researchers have sought to explore the direct impact of salt on AF.

And numerous studies have concluded that dietary salt intake is a significant independent predictor of an irregular heartbeat.

In one observational analysis, researchers looked at a cohort of nearly 474,000 individuals, 5,972 of whom were diagnosed with AF.

During the 10 year follow-up period, 5,972 participants were diagnosed with AF.

After adjusting for influential factors, researchers noted a significant association amongst men in the lower and highest quintile of sodium excretion.

“We found evidence for a U-shaped association between estimated daily salt intake and AF risk amongst men,” they wrote.

“Our results suggest that above a certain physiological minimum level, progressively higher salt intake is associated with increased risk of AF.”

Elsewhere in the study, researchers said a possible explanation for an association between AF and very low salt intake, could be a higher sympathetic tone associated with a low intake of salt.

“For example, a low intake of salt is associated with a slightly higher heart rate, possibly driven by increased plasma levels of norepinephrine,” explained the researchers.

“This increased sympathetic tone is in turn associated with AF.”

What to eat

Evidence suggests that bananas are particularly good for atrial fibrillation thanks to their potassium content.

In fact, there appears to be a strong link between heart problems and potassium deficiency, with evidence suggesting that heart muscle activity may be reduced in individuals with low potassium levels.

These situations are life-threatening, therefore the NHS recommends getting levels checked.

“You may also have a potassium test if you have diabetes and your doctor thinks you may have diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication caused by a lack of insulin in the body.”

Other basic rules to adopt include not smoking, being physically active and keeping to normal weight.

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