THere was a discussion going on another forum concerning PVC's (premature ventricular contractions which are usually not serious but can be extremely uncomfortable. Some people experience thousands per day) and eating high carbohydrate foods. I wondered if the rush of insulin that some carbohydrate sensitive individuals get after eating a high carbo food could cause cardiac symptoms. Or would it be the high glucose level that might be doing it?

Chris S.

Hi Chris, I've been off on vacation for a while, and it seems I've got some catching up to do. PVC's are an anomally that occur due to improper electrical signal activity in the heart. For this, the doctors generally prescribe calcium channel blockers such as lopressor etc. To say they are not serious is wrong as they can degrade to a new rhythm and cause cardiac arrest. The ventricals contract too soon after the auricals (top of the heart) and the result is a pause that is followed by a very strong ventricular contraction. I have my doubts about the insulin or the blood sugar doing this..I would have a serious talk with a good cardiologist if I were you. God bless,

Oldguy

Hi Old Guy:

If you check in on the cardiac forums you will find that the cardiologists say that *usually* PVC's and PAC's are not harmful. True, they do the tests to make sure there is not something serious going on but more often than not, there is not. People posting on these forums can have thousands of these a day! And they are told "don't worry" Most of the people don't seem satisfied with the medical treatment. Either it only reduces the amount or the side effects of the drug are worse than the original problem. Recently they were discussing how high carbohydrate foods seem to cause cardiac symptoms and I was curious as to why. I don't have much of a problem myself. Oh, another thing-catching these on recordings can be tricky! I've had two stress tests and both times the tracings have been perfect, yet I know I have occasional palpitations. Don't know if they are PVC's or PAC's or what. And they do seem to get more frequent when eating a high carbo food. It happens so suddenly I thought it had to be due to insulin levels, although I know that foods with a low glycemic index break down easily and enter the bloodstream quickly. Plus, I also have that possible microvascular angina which seems to be more common in people who are insulin resistant. That would be a situation where high insulin levels cause cardiac symptoms.

CHris S.

Hi Chris, This is a bit of a surprise to me. Most of the time, paramedics will be monitoring the ekg while enroute to the hospital with about any kind of injury. When they holler out, "He's throwing PVC's!", they break out the adrenalin and keep it at the ready. If you've ever had twitches on an eyelid, or somewhere else on the body, you can understand that they can occur on the heart. The biggest cause of this is caffeine. Some cold med's can do this too. My dad had these so bad that if you laid your ear to his chest, you could feel them. These were not contractions, but just twitches on the surface of the heart. They will disturb the ekg, but won't be a vivid display. The second greatest cause is allergic reaction to something injested or exposed to. My dad's ended when he cut down on his coffee. God bless and care for you, Oldguy