Celiac/coeliac disease links with arrhythmia?

Posted , 6 users are following.

I would be very interested to hear member's thoughts on whether celiac disease has been their cause of afib or flutter.

I have been doing some research and it appears that people who have thyroiditis, either under or over, are a strong candidate for celiac disease.

I am going to do a trial of giving up gluten for a couple of months to see if it helps.

What are your thoughts please?

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  • Posted

    Its clear from the messge on this site there are a lot of people with both those symptoms who have AF.    Having said the I also think our bodies are all different and AF is likely to be because the body is trying to cope with a lot of other stuff and in the end the buck stops with the heart.   In otherwords something has to  give.    I have a long history of borderline under active thryoid although have been treated for it on and off over the years.    I am gluten free and also have a lot of inflamation but the readings are not high enough to be classed celiac.    I'm still puzzled how the medical profession class you have eithier having something or not having it and don't treat us for the symptoms.   What is borderline to me might be ok for someone else's  body etc.       I found the fodmap diet helpful.  Not a cure all but very helpful.  

    • Posted

      Thank you Kate. It was a few years before I realised that I was hypothyroid and had to persuade my GP to test me for it, which he reluctantly did, and of course came back positive. Now I have afib and flutter and am fed up to the back teeth of hospitals, cardio versions, ablation and lethal cocktails of drugs which haven't helped at all. So I am doing my own research into what the possible causes are and feel sure there must be something that can be done to at least relieve the symptoms.

      If the gluten free diet doesn't work after a couple of months, then I will try a lactose free diet and so on.

      Onward and upward!!

  • Posted

    Hi Gwen,

    I run a support group for people with autoimmune disease, and while at a meeting the other week we were told that quite often it is not the wheat that people are allergic to but the Protien in the wheat I have a paper on it but obviuosly I can't put it on here, Ialso sent out  a message about the vegas nerve being responsible for so many problems within our body heart lungs gut etc. and a scientist that has dvised a thing like a pacemaker for the vegas nerve , it is still in its infancy but they have tried it on peope with RA and have some success.

    Good luck with your trials Lx

    • Posted

      Hi Linda, I saw your message about the Vegas nerve and wondered whether the irritated digestive system has an effect on the vagus nerve, thus causing afib or flutter (at 4am when I can't sleep, my mind goes into overdrive!)

      Anyway, I will keep you posted on my trials.

    • Posted

      Yes it can be another contributing factor much discussed and believed by many of us on the AF forum.   Its worth you doing an internet search on vagus nerve book and you will be able to pick one up with some further information.   The one I had was by Rochlitz but I think out of print.   The vagus nerve is travelling right down around your digestive system and especially if you have a hernia or your stomach comes up a bit too much it can trigger.    There are exercies or movement you can do to get your stomach down etc.  Worth a read. 
    • Posted

      Funny how the same batch of problem keep coming up.       I have a problem with wheat  - I really cannot touch it  - makes me intitally sleeping and then later very ill.   I havn't eaten it for years.    However after that I then also developed a gluten problem but I am sure I have both and they are different problems so what you say makes sense

    • Posted

      I've noticed lately that I am feeling bloated in the evenings. So much so that I have to undo my bra or take it off because it cuts into me and hurts. I'm not overweight and it's the only time it affects me so something isn't right.

    • Posted

      For years before I got AF I have very severe gut trouble bouts of gastritis was tested for coeliac and all the usual things then a gastroenterologist I was under said the trouble is quite often the vegas nerve isn't functioning properly and that can cause the problems you are having, so if they know that why don't they look at the vegas nerve for those of us with AF instead of just throwing meds at us for the AF they never look outside of the box and just treat us all the same, I suspect because years ago doctors looked at all of you these day they all have ther own specialty and don't look beyond it.

      L x

    • Posted

      Gwen - it seems we have a lot of similarities - I understand!
  • Posted

    I would love to know what Frank wrote!

    I know we are all different but there must be a common underlying cause that triggers this condition. Maybe it's the vagas nerve and may be this is stimulated by the thyroid gland etc etc.

    How many of us have thyroid disease I wonder?

    • Posted

      Hey Gwen et al.

      All I did was cite a book and they are holding it up for some reason.

      What I said was that here in the USA many are developing wheat intolerances due to the genetically modified wheat we now are being subjected to, without any warning on the lable.  A lot of these wheat varieties are varied, so you might have adverse reactions to one bread and not as much to another.

      The wheat intolerances show up in various ways in the stomach and intestines and they definitely can effect the vagus nerve which then can mess with your heart rythms.

      Often the wheat intolerances are not Celiac related so there are no tests a doctor can give you - you have to find out for yourself and stop ingesting anything containing wheat for a couple of weeks. Beware though - you may have initial discomfort due to wheat withdrawal symptoms AND wheat is in darn near everything, including most soy sauce preps to say the least - its crazy how they can find a way to stuff a toxin for many of us into almost anything we might eat....

      Frank  

    • Posted

      Hi Frank, it's good to hear from you. You are probably right about wheat withdrawal symptoms, I'm feeling pretty crappy at the moment!

      I'm going to carry on though and see what happens. I am only eating fresh unprocessed foods so should be able to avoid wheat and it derivatives.

      I have found out that celiac disease also impairs absorption of vitamins, minerals into the blood stream which may account for why I have to take vitamin D and recently 6months of iron supplements because I was anaemic

      There's a lot to know about this condition, but it's interesting learning 😏

  • Posted

    Hi Gwen,

    ?Food and/or digestive issues were not a cause of my AF. However, after some 4 to 6 months following diagnosis I discovered that an AF event seemed to occur after I'd eaten. My symptoms were massive, massive and painful bloating, burping, intestinal gurgling (loud and socially embarassing), flatulence, and diahorrea - not all at the same time - all on its own and at random BUT the most common was the bloating whioch had the effect of pushing my blood pressure up from around the normal of 126/70 to anything up to 160/90 in a matter of hours. It then took some 5 days to return to normal and I 'd feel really ill in the meantime.

    ?My GP had me checked out for IBS and Coeliac Disease but the results showed everything OK. He offered to do more tests - I declined.

    ?I then learned about the vagal nerve and its imopact on various organs in the body, particularly the heart and digestive system.

    I consulted a Nutritionist who conducted a simple test and prescribed me a course of Probitoics. she also suggested going Gluten free, Wheat free. Also suggested I look at the FODMAPS diet and since then I've also gone added sugar free. Its taken a good few years of 'work in progress' to get a sensible diet sorted but now my last AF event was in April 2015.

    ?I have had no thyroid issues ever diagnosed. Certainly Gluten and Wheat are big, big offenders for me.

    ?John

    • Posted

      Wow! Thank you for your input John, it gives credence to my thoughts.

      I will certainly continue with self trials on this with this encouragement.

  • Posted

    Well, I thought it would be interesting to keep notes on my day to day withdrawal events for anyone who may be interested and for myself to keep track of progress or not.

    Day 1 to day 3 eating gluten free. Breakfast fresh fruit, pumpkin seeds, chia, linseed, sunflower seeds, two brazil nuts, milk.

    Lunch vegetable soup and mashed potato, dessert fresh fruit salad with low sugar yoghurt. Evening beetroot with celery, walnuts and two satsumas

    No effects felt yet.

    Day 4 Breakfast 1 soft boiled egg. Lunch roast chicken with roast vegetables (potatoes in skins, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, shallots, half a garlic bulb, sweet potato. Dessert fresh fruit salad with low sugar yoghurt.

    Evening beetroot and celery, walnuts, 2 satsumas.

    Effects: very tired, back ache, stomach gurgling, bloating, wind but slept really well.

    Beetroot has the effect of relaxing artery walls and allowing blood to pass through more easily.

    Celery has a multitude of benefits but does contain quite a lot of vitamin K so be aware if taking anticoagulants.

    • Posted

      Me again Gwen,

      ?The thing I found and still do to a degree is that there are so many foods that you think are 'nice 'n healthy' but are not neessarily so. for instance, just looking at your list - I just cannot eat the following ....

      ?fresh fruit, walnuts, brazil nuts, yoghurt, any eggs but in moderation. Breakfast for me is a plate of Rice Krispies, 2 gluten free crispbreads and marmalade and a coffee..

      ?Certainly if I followed the health mantra of 'eat 5 to 7 fruit and veg a day I'd be a bathroom cot case. Strawberries are OK, raspberries are not. Hard cheese is OK (like a Cheddar or Edam), soft cheeses, like Brie are not !

      ?Weird.

      John

    • Posted

      This is where things get interesting. I have eaten the above diet for many months but used to eat bread with it and the occasional pastry/cake etc (I live in France so the whole nation are bread eaters!)

      I've cut out bread, pastry, oats unless they are gluten free, difficult to find here, biscuits etc. In short all processed foods with the exception of butter and hard cheese.

      I've a long way to go yet and will probably eliminate and add things along the way. I've bought some gluten free maize type crispness that look and taste like polystyrene but they do for a quick snack if I'm starving.

      I think the softer cheeses are probably not a good idea anyway because the amount of fat they contain.

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