Tomatoes are a common vegetable used in a wide variety of entrees and condiments, such as pasta sauce, salsa and ketchup. If you notice that your heart begins to race when you eat foods that contain tomatoes, you may be experiencing a severe allergic reaction. Heart palpitations are not a common result of eating tomatoes and needs an evaluation by your health care provider. Heart palpitations can lead to further complications that may cause death if not promptly treated. Stop eating tomatoes until you can be seen by your family doctor or an allergist.
Tomato Allergy
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, tomatoes are a common food allergen that can cause various symptoms to develop within a few seconds to minutes after eating them. After eating tomatoes, your immune system experiences an exaggerated response to the proteins found in the tomato. Instead of allowing the tomato to be digested as usual, the immune system warns the body and reacts by attacking the tomato proteins. The attack includes the production of immunoglobulin E antibodies, histamine and other chemicals. These chemicals cause your tissues to swell and tighten, leading to further complications.
Severe Allergy
Heart palpitations are not a common allergic reaction symptom. Developing this symptom is alarming and may require emergency medical attention. An increased heart rate is the result of a systematic allergic reaction that affects your entire body. During a severe allergic reaction to tomatoes, critical tissues in your body swell and tighten, leading to the inability to breathe, a racing heart, a faint pulse, lightheadedness, dizziness, mental confusion and the feeling of impending doom, according to MayoClinic.com. If you develop these symptoms, call 911 immediately.
Risk Factors
If you have a severe allergy to another food, you are at greater risk of developing an allergic reaction to more than one food. If you have a family history of food allergies, you are at an increased risk of having a food allergy. For example, if both parents have a specific food allergy, you have a 75 percent chance of having the same allergy, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. If you ate a large amount of tomato products from a young age, you have a greater chance of becoming allergic to those foods.
Treatment
A rapid heart rate after eating tomatoes resulting from anaphylaxis will require an injection of epinephrine. This medication will temporarily alleviate your symptoms, but you still need to go to the emergency room for evaluation.
