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Do Different Type of Foods Affect Your Heart Rate?

Jul 10, 2011 | By Deborah Braconnier
Do Different Type of Foods Affect Your Heart Rate?
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Your heart rate, or your pulse, is the number of times that your heart beats in one minute. You can feel your pulse in your wrist and neck when you place two fingers firmly against the skin. If you count the beats you feel for a full minute, this is your heart rate. According to the National Institutes of Health, an adult's resting heart rate should be between 60 and 100 beats per minute. The term tachycardia refers to a regularly high resting heart rate and bradycardia is a low resting heart rate. Just as your mother used to say that sugar gave you too much energy as a child, there are foods that can raise and lower your heart rate.

Caffeinated Beverages and Energy Drinks

With the popularity of soda and energy drinks, especially among the younger generation, researchers have looked at the effects of caffeine and energy drinks on your heart rate. A 2009 study published in "The Annals of Pharmacotherapy" looked at the effects of energy drink consumption on cardiac function. Fifteen healthy adults were asked to abstain from caffeine for 48 hours before the study began. They were first tested for a baseline blood pressure and heart rate and then asked to drink 500 mL of an energy drink. Four hours after consumption, their average systolic blood pressure had increased by 7.9 percent and heart rate by 7.8 percent. They were then asked to drink 500 mL of energy drink for the next five days and then were retested. Blood pressure on day seven had increased by 9.6 percent and heart rate had increased by 11 percent.

Red Wine and Alcohol

While the headlines have been full of reports of the cardiac benefits of drinking occasional red wine, there is rarely a mention of how it affects the heart rate. A 2010 study published in the "American Journal of Physiology" looked at the effects of red wine and ethanol on the heart rate. Their study showed that what really made a difference in the effects on heart rate was not which one was consumed but rather how much. One glass of either showed no increase of heart rate. However, when a second glass was added, red wine showed an increase in heart rate of 5.4 beats per minute and ethanol showed a 5.7 bpm increase.

Dark Chocolate

While you may look as chocolate as a treat or dessert item, it plays a role in the increase of your heart rate. A 2008 study published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" looked at the effects of dark chocolate and cocoa on neuropsychological and cardiovascular function. While the study showed no beneficial effects of short-term dark chocolate consumption on neuropsychological and cardiovascular health, it did reveal that dark chocolate causes a significant increase in heart rate.

Fish and Fish Oil Supplements

Fish and fish oil, and the omega-3 fatty acids they provide, have been reported to aid in cardiovascular health. A 2011 study published in the "International Journal of Hypertension" looked at the effects of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid on coronary heart disease. The participants were given either a fish oil supplement or a placebo. The findings showed that 2 g a day of docosahexaenoic acid significantly improved blood pressure and reduced heart rate and lipids.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Jul 10, 2011

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