Foods to Avoid with Atrial Fibrillation

In addition to treatments like mediation, surgery, and other procedures, there are certain lifestyle changes, like your diet, that can help manage AFib.

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) occurs when there is a disruption in the normal rhythmic pumping of the upper chambers of the heart or atria.

Instead of a normal heart rate, the atria pulse, or fibrillate, at a fast or irregular rate.

As a result, your heart is less efficient and must work harder.

AFib can increase a person’s risk for stroke and heart failure, both of which can be fatal if not treated quickly and effectively.

This article reviews what the current evidence suggests about your diet and AFib, including what guidelines to follow and which foods to avoid.

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Some foods can negatively affect your heart health and have been shown to increase the risk of heart complications, like AFib, as well as heart disease.

Diets high in ultra-processed foods, such as fast food, and items high in added sugar, like soda and sugary baked goods, have been linked to increased heart disease risk ( 1 , 2 ).

They can also lead to other negative health outcomes like weight gain, diabetes, cognitive decline, and certain cancers ( 3 ).

Read on to learn what food and drinks to avoid.

Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk for developing AFib.

It may also trigger AFib episodes in people who already have AFib, especially if you have existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes ( 4 ).

Alcohol consumption can contribute to hypertension, obesity, and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) — all risk factors for AFib (5).

While binge drinking is especially harmful, studies indicate that even moderate alcohol consumption can be a risk factor for AFib (6).

More recent evidence suggests that individuals who stick to recommended limits — two drinks per day for men and one drink for women — are not at increased risk for AFib ( 7 ).

If you have AFib, it’s best to limit your alcohol consumption. But going cold turkey might be your safest bet.

A 2020 study found that quitting alcohol significantly reduced arrhythmia recurrences in regular drinkers with AFib (8).

Over the years, experts have debated how caffeine affects people with AFib.

Some products that contain caffeine include:

For years, it was standard to recommend that people with AFib avoid caffeine.

But multiple clinical studies have failed to show any link between caffeine intake and AFib episodes ( 9 , 10 ). In fact, regular caffeine consumption may even reduce your risk for AFib ( 10 ).

Although drinking coffee may increase blood pressure and insulin resistance initially, long-term studies have found that regular coffee consumption is not associated with higher cardiovascular risk ( 12 ).

A 2019 study found that men who reported drinking 1 to 3 cups of coffee per day were actually at a lower risk for AFib ( 13 ).

Consuming up to 300 milligrams (mg) of caffeine — or 3 cups of coffee — per day is generally safe (14).

However, drinking energy drinks is another story.

That’s because energy drinks contain caffeine at higher concentrations than coffee and tea. They’re also loaded with sugar and other chemicals that can stimulate the cardiac system ( 15 ).

Multiple observational studies and reports have linked energy drink consumption with serious cardiovascular events, including arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death ( 16 , 17, 18, 19).

If you have AFib, you may want to avoid energy drinks, but a cup of coffee is probably fine.

Having obesity and high blood pressure can increase your risk for AFib, so it’s important to eat a well-balanced diet.

Cardiologists may recommend that you reduce certain types of fat if you have AFib.

Some research has shown that diets high in saturated and trans fats may be associated with an increased risk of AFib and other cardiovascular conditions ( 20 , 21 ).

Foods like butter, cheese, and red meat have high amounts of saturated fat.

Trans fats are found in:

• margarine
• foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils
• certain crackers and cookies
• potato chips
• doughnuts
• other fried foods

A 2015 study found that diets high in saturated fat and low in monounsaturated fatty acids were associated with a greater risk of persistent or chronic AFib ( 22 ).

Monounsaturated fats are found in plant foods, including:

But swapping saturated fats with something else may not be the best fix.

A 2017 study found a slightly increased risk of AFib in men who replaced saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats (23).

However, other studies have linked diets high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fats with a lower risk of AFib ( 24 ).

It’s likely that less healthy sources of fat, like corn oil and soybean oil, have different effects on AFib risk than healthy sources of polyunsaturated fats like salmon and sardines. Polyunsaturated fats are a type of healthy dietary fat that include plant based oils and fish.

More high-quality research is needed to determine how polyunsaturated fats affect AFib risk.

While certain fats should be prioritized over others, it doesn’t mean you have to completely avoid foods that are high in saturated fats.

For most people, it’s perfectly healthy to enjoy foods that contain saturated fats, like cheese, butter, and full-fat yogurt, on occasion as part of a healthy diet. When it comes to heart health and disease prevention, it’s your diet as a whole that matters most.

The good news is, if you haven’t had the healthiest diet in the past, there’s still time to turn things around.

Studies show that sodium intake can increase your chances of developing AFib (25).

That’s because salt can elevate your blood pressure ( 26 ).

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can almost double your chances of developing AFib ( 27 ).

Reducing sodium in your diet can help you:

• maintain heart health
• lower your blood pressure
• reduce your AFib risk

Many processed and frozen foods use a lot of salt as a preservative and flavoring agent. Be sure to read labels and try to stick with fresh foods and foods with low sodium or no salt added.

Fresh herbs and spices can keep food flavorful without all the added sodium.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends consuming less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day as part of a healthy diet ( 28 ).

Research indicates that people with diabetes mellitus are 40% more likely to develop AFib compared to people without diabetes ( 29 ).

Experts are unclear on what causes the link between diabetes and AFib.

But high blood glucose levels, which are a sign of diabetes, may be a factor.

A 2019 study in China found that residents over 35 with elevated blood glucose (EBG) levels were more likely to experience AFib compared to residents without EBG ( 30 ).

Foods high in added sugar can elevate your blood glucose levels.

Eating lots of sugary foods constantly may also cause insulin resistance to develop, which significantly increases your chances of developing diabetes. However, foods that contain natural sugars, like fresh fruit, don’t have to be overly restricted. ( 31 ).

More research is needed to determine how blood glucose levels can affect AFib.

• soda
• sugary baked goods
• other products that contain lots of added sugar

Vitamin K is a group of fat-soluble vitamins that plays an important role in:

• blood clotting
• bone health
• heart health

Vitamin K is present in products that include:

• leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and kale
• cauliflower
• parsley
• green tea
• calf’s liver

Since many people with AFib are at risk for stroke, they’re prescribed blood thinners to help prevent blood clots that could cause a stroke.

Common blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) works by blocking vitamin K from regenerating, halting the blood clotting cascade.

In the past, individuals with AFib have been warned to limit foods or drink rich in Vitamin K.

But current evidence does not support changing your vitamin K consumption ( 32 ).

Instead, it may be more useful to keep vitamin K levels stable, avoiding big changes in your diet ( 33 ).

It’s best to talk with your doctor before increasing or decreasing your intake of vitamin K.

If you’re taking warfarin, also talk to your doctor about the possibility of switching to a non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant (NOAC) so that these interactions aren’t a concern.

Examples of NOACs include:

• Dabigatran (Pradaxa)
• rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
• apixaban (Eliquis)

Gluten is one type of protein in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s found in products that include:

• breads
• pastas
• condiments
• many packaged foods

If you’re gluten-intolerant or have Celiac Disease or a wheat allergy, gluten or wheat consumption may cause inflammation in your body.

The inflammation might affect your vagus nerve. This nerve can have a major impact on your heart and make you more susceptible to AFib symptoms ( 34 ).

In two different studies, researchers found that individuals with untreated celiac disease had prolonged atrial electromechanical delay (EMD) (35).

EMD refers to the delay between the onset of detectable electrical activity in the heart and the initiation of contraction.

EMD is a significant predictor of AFib ( 36 , 37 ).

If gluten-related digestive issues or inflammation are making your AFib act up, reducing gluten in your diet may help you get AFib under control.

Talk to your doctor if you believe you have a gluten sensitivity or wheat allergy.