Link between some processed meats and AFib

Needs further reasearch to check this out but we have recently noticed a possible link between Atrial Fibrilation and cold sliced meats from a certain supermarket.

Elderly relative (male) has A/F but we don't know any further details as unable to get to speak to a cardiologist. He is now taking Warfarin 5mg / day. He measures his blood pressure each morning and the BP monitor also indicates A/F.

Normal life involves a lunchtime sandwich with sliced cold meat purchased from Tesco. However recently went to Waitrose for other items and while there bought some sliced cold meat. After using the Waitrose meat for sandwiches one day we noticed next morning his atrial fibrillation had gone, same on the second day. After that he was back on Tesco meats again and low-and-behold, next morning his atrial fibrilation was back again. Then experimented with giving him a beef-burger (100 pure beef) one day for lunch, remarkably next day no A/F again. Now back on Tesco meats and A/F back every day.

Further testing is needed but looking promising...

Explanation for those not in the UK, Tesco is one of our average supermarkets while Waitrose is perhaps our most upmarket (expensive) supermarket.

Do that test 10 more times and see if it holds. I hope you find such an easy solution.

Sounds suspiciously like sodium.

Yah, salt was what i thought too. Probably the tesco processed meats are higher in salt content than the waitrose version. Could also be higher in msg, in fact that is very likely. Combination of both, more additives in the cheaper version?

PeggyM

Nick - consider in addition to the sodium load, it could be the various forms of preservatives - most commonly found is sodium nitrite and can be a trigger. There are brands of deli meat that are nitrite free.

Also, various cooked meats produce free glutamate which is excitotoxic. This is natural glutamate but the chemical additive MSG (monosodium glutamate) is also a known trigger for some afibbers.

If you look in the early archives for posts from Fran Ross, you should find her testimonials about her personal journey where she cured her afib by doing only quick cooking of meats to avoid the liberation of free glutamate which was her afib trigger. Of course, there are other natural free glutamates in other foods as well, but meat, apparently did it for her.

As is so often the case, what is a trigger for one, may not bother others, but in order to find the triggers, you have to rule out and trace back what you've consumed and then consider these factors that could contribute to the problem.

Sometimes it's relatively easy... as it happens repeatedly; other times, not so easy.

Good luck with your sleuthing.

Jackie

Well second round of the experiment yield same positive result. All we need now is a fully equipped research lab with a mass spectrometer to identify the differences between these two.

Any other AFibbers in the UK willing to try the same experiment?