Don’t let ‘holiday heart syndrome’ ruin your Christmas

If you have Afib, the last thing you want to do is something that can trigger an episode.

Instead of being surrounded by family and friends this Christmas, that could land you in the ER… surrounded by doctors and nurses.

While an episode of this abnormal heart rhythm – one that can up your risk of a stroke — can come on at any time, there may be two very important ways to avoid it.

One can be hidden in all sorts of holiday foods that seem totally innocent, unless you know what to look out for. And the other was a surprise even to the researchers of a new study.

‘Holiday heart syndrome’

Although stress and dehydration are well-known Afib triggers, many people who have this condition say they have no idea what can bring it on.

But while it’s been known for some time that binge drinking can cause an attack, for the first time researchers are now saying that for some Afib patients, any amount of alcohol can do so as well. And that’s especially true right now.

Because while it’s the season to be jolly, it’s also the season for a sleighful of stress, appropriately dubbed “holiday heart syndrome.”

A new study from researchers at the Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia has found that (as was previously known) not only does heavy drinking cause an increase in Afib attacks, but so can “light-to-moderate” alcohol consumption.

And it can be much more than a one-time episode, too. This study – that the researchers called a “sobering” review – discovered that Afib patients who are sensitive to alcohol and continue to drink can progress into persistent Afib (where the heart doesn’t convert back to a normal rhythm).

While a glass of wine or beer with dinner doesn’t automatically mean that everyone with Afib will have an episode, the researchers said that it’s “very likely that certain individuals” are prone to alcohol-induced Afib.

And the big, unanswered question is how to find out who they are before they land in the hospital.

Of course, the time to discover if you’re one of them certainly isn’t at that office party or big family get-together!

The second Afib trigger is something I’ve been warning you about for years now. It’s none other than monosodium glutamate, or MSG.

And it isn’t just me saying this. Even the American Heart Association had to admit that MSG is a “common trigger for Afib.”

While MSG is something we should all avoid every day of the year, holiday foods in particular tend to be hotbeds of this dangerous additive.

Ones like stuffing, appetizers, gravy and the chicken or vegetable broth used to make it, soups – I could go on and on. But the bottom line here is that if you have Afib, you need to be super careful during the holidays.

Of course, MSG is one of those additives that’s easier said than found. Even if you’re the chief cook, it’s difficult to know where it will pop up.

So here’s what you need to do:

• When eating out or at someone’s house, be especially wary of stuffing, gravy and soup. These are the big three foods that MSG is most likely to be lurking in. Plus that, MSG in hot liquids, like soup, enter your bloodstream faster.
• The simpler the food choices the better. Order the steak or a simple poached or grilled fish dish with lemon and butter (no sauce!) instead of highly seasoned entrees.
• If you’re cooking, aside from scanning ingredient labels for MSG, look out for its top aliases: anything “hydrolyzed” such as hydrolyzed protein, as well as soy protein, yeast extract and autolyzed yeast.

It may seem like a lot of trouble, but not nearly as much as spending the holidays in the hospital!

“Alcohol and Afib: It’s not just about binges” Nicole Lou, December 5, 2016, Medpage Today, medpagetoday.com