Heart palpitations are an uncomfortable and disconcerting experience in which your heart suddenly feels like it is racing or pounding at an abnormally high rate. Heart palpitations can be benign, or they can signal a serious medical condition and may stem from a variety of causes, including anemia, diet pills, fever, nicotine and overactive thyroid. Some foods have also been known to cause heart palpitations in susceptible individuals. If you experience heart palpitations from food, consult your doctor to rule out a serious or life-threatening condition.
Allergies
Food allergies and some food additives can cause symptoms of anxiety that may include heart palpitations, according to Diane Peters Mayer, M.S.W. author of the book "The Everything Health Guide to Controlling Anxiety: Professional Advice to Get You Through Any Situation." Food allergens that have been known to result in heart palpitations include dairy, eggs, sugar, yeast and shellfish, says James Braly, M.D., author of the book "Hidden Food Allergies: The Essential Guide to Uncovering Hidden Food Allergies and Achieving Permanent Relief."
Food Combinations and Food Components
Heart palpitations occur as part of the immune system's reaction to an allergenic food and may appear along with a host of other symptoms such as fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, hives and irritable bowel, says Gary Null, Ph.D., in his book, "Get Healthy Now!: A Complete Guide to Prevention, Treatment and Healthy Living." Additionally, many combinations of foods and their components can cause heart palpitations. You may be allergic to one component of a food, such as corn sugar, and react more severely to that than to other components, such as corn starch or whole corn.
Almonds, Peaches and Apricots
Almonds and peach and apricot pits contain substances called cyanogens that can cause adverse reactions, including headaches and heart palpitations, in some people, says Ruth Winter, M.S., author of the book, "A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, 7th Edition." Food additives, such as monosodium glutamate, MSG, can lead to headaches and heart palpitations in susceptible individuals. To help sensitive individuals avoid these health hazards, food labelling laws require that commonly problematic food additives, such as MSG, be included in the ingredients list.
Caffeine
Caffeine in coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks has mild stimulant effects that cause agitation and heart palpitations in some people. A study published in the January 2011 issue of the "Journal of Medical Case Reports" reported on two cases of adolescent boys who consumed caffeine-containing energy drinks and developed atrial fibrillation, a condition involving an irregularly fast rhythm of the the upper chambers of the heart. Additionally, caffeine crosses the placenta and can affect the baby's heart, so it should be avoided during pregnancy.
References
- "The Everything Health Guide to Controlling Anxiety: Professional Advice to ..."; Diane Peters Maye; 2005
- "Get Healthy Now!: A Complete Guide to Prevention, Treatment and Healthy Living"; Gary Null; 2000
- "Pocket Atlas of Nutrition"; Hans Konrad Biesalski; 2005
- "An A-Z Guide to Food Additives: Never Eat What You Can't Pronounce"; Deanna Minich; 2010
- MedlinePlus: Heart Palpitations
