Celiac association with a-fib

Probably this has been posted before, but in case it hasn't:

Title Risk of vascular disease in adults with diagnosed coeliac disease a population-based study.

Source Aliment Pharmacol Ther (Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics.) 2004 Jul 1; 20(1) 73-9

Additional Info England
Standard No ISSN 0269-2813; NLM Unique Journal Identifier 8707234

Language English

Abstract BACKGROUND It has been suggested that vascular disease mortality may be reduced in coeliac disease because of lower levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass. AIM To examine whether people with coeliac disease are at reduced risk of various vascular diseases. METHODS We identified 3,790 adults with diagnosed coeliac disease and 17,925 age- and sex-matched controls in the General Practice Research Database. We estimated odds ratios for diagnosed hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and atrial fibrillation and hazard ratios for myocardial infarction and stroke.

RESULTS Adults with coeliac disease, compared with controls, were less likely to have had a diagnosis of hypertension [11% vs. 15%, odds ratio 0.68 (95% confidence interval 0.60-0.76)] or hypercholesterolaemia [3.0% vs. 4.8%, odds ration 0.58 (95% confidence interval 0.47-0.72)] but slightly more likely to have had atrial fibrillation [2.1% vs. 1.7%, odds ratio 1.26 (95% confidence interval 0.97-1.64)]. The hazard ratio for myocardial infarction was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.63-1.13), while the hazard ratio for stroke was 1.29 (95% confidence interval 0.98-1.70).

CONCLUSIONS Although rates of myocardial infarction and stroke were not substantially different, adults with coeliac disease do have a lower prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia compared with the general population. The effect of a gluten-free diet on cardiovascular risk factors should be determined before any screening programmes for coeliac disease are instituted.

Interesting you should post this, Trish. thanks. My cardiologist has been bugging me for several years now to be checked for gluten intolerence. She maintains there is a link between food allergies and Afib - making the condition worse.

I have been tested and awaiting the results. If anyone is interested in the lab, let me know and I will dig out the info. It costs $150. They send you a kid and you swab the inside of your mouth.

Lois

Lois, that cardiologist is worth keeping. Quite a number of us afibbers have gotten relief from afib by gluten avoidance. I use a modified paleo diet myself, and i started feeling noticeably better - not just less afib, but a general feeling of wellbeing, hard to describe but unmistakeable - within 2 weeks of starting it. There is a conference room session, archived now of course, on that subject. You might want to read that.

PeggyM

To Lois and all - I'm glad you are being tested, but it really is much easier to just avoid all gluten containing products for at least two months and make daily notes of any improvements in general symptoms. Most people have significant improvements - especially GI issues.

The experts are now saying that while the IgA, IgG, IgM and transglutaminase markers are very helpful in determinine overt gluten issues, often times the testing falls short of catching all the people who need to avoid gluten.

The ones I've heard recently speaking say to just do the elimination diet and see what happens. Often miraculous changes are noted in just a few weeks.

Just be sure you know where gluten can be hiding and avoid most packaged foods as they almost all contain gluten or gliaden which are proteins in wheat and other gluten-containing grains such as rye, barley, spelt, tritical and almost always oats through processing equipment contamination.

PS - you don't have to be a diagnosed "celiac" to be gluten sensitive.

Refer to CR Session 54 for the details.

Lois - I'll be interested in the results of your tests.

Jackie

Yes, she gave me a copy of the Elimination diet as an option. But I find it difficult to "deny" myself of dairy, sugar, and all grains every day all the time.
But I'm working on it. With my pulse rate irregularly spiking to 150 - 200 for several weeks following the ablation, it was difficult to tell what was helping and what was not! So I close to do the test; physician's like test results, you know!

My cardologist seems to know that there is variance in dependable testing has specifically refers only to a certain lab for the test.

Our Heart Center has an alternative medicine clinic within it and my cardiologist makes referrals to it as well as supports her patients with some of the same information. I am taking a four hour class on nutrition (anti-inflammatories, etc) in a couple of weeks at the clinic which is a pre-requiste to being seen my the doctor there.

Lois

Lois, the thing that helped me the most was when i tried paleo diet for a 2 week trial period. I was not aware of any problem with wheat then. But i felt so very well at the end of that 2 weeks that i kept it up. Some time after that, i do not remember just how long after, i realized that i had stopped carrying Tums with me. That is important because in my family, a check of pockets or handbags will reveal a roll of these someplace on every single one of us. They are the family condiment, we joke about it with one another. Every one of us is troubled with what used to be called acid indigestion. Except me, and then only when i have eaten something with wheat in it.

[en.wikipedia.org]

[www.paleodiet.com]

PeggyM

Lois - sugar should just automatically come out of everyone's diet. With the grains - you can just eliminate the gluten type and continue on with some organic brown rice if you absolutely can't do without grains. Because dairy proteins are also often very allergenic and often go hand in hand with gluten sensitivities, it's good to try to cut down as much as you can.

I personally find an elimination diet far too restrictive but a modified Paleo eliminating all gluten and dairy is very do-able.... you should definitely try it for at least a month - two would be better.

Good luck.

Jackie

Jackie, Speaking of grains.....Is millet an acceptable grain? I am comitted to the Paleo style diet, however, I sometimes think I have eliminated too many things. I have faithfully eliminated all gluten, dairy and canned, processed food items and also most of the other Paleo no no's. Sometimes I think I would be just fine eliminating the gluten, dairy and canned/processed food items.