Skip to main content

Irregular Heartbeat on Ketogenic Diet

A commenter brought up something today that made me think of the radical view that we need to get rid of all industrialization and live like...I don't know what. Following herds that don't exist in any great number and living off the land with skills almost nobody has anymore? Living like Mennonites? Like gentlemen farmers, who (it has been argued) needed slave labor to have the leisure to pursue scholarship and culture? I have nothing against going off the grid if that's what floats your boat, but people who would, say, blow up dams to force other people off the grid remind me of a TV series called Death Note. In the series, a high school student finds a notebook that kills by heart attack anyone whose name is written in it. He starts writing the names of criminals in it because he wants to create a world with only good people in it. "So," someone predicts, "you'll be the only bastard." Sure enough, the student (Kira, taken from the English word for killer) also kills his pursuers, anyone who can out him as soon as they're compromised, he threatens heads of state, and plans to eventually kill useless people (that is, force people into servitude) in pursuit of a goal that's turned into becoming the god of a new world. Hubris: a timeless theme.

On a happier note, I've been eating fewer nuts and more meat. I cut down on nuts because too many bother my stomach. As a result, I've felt less hungry and look like I've lost a few pounds, but have had to start taking a magnesium supplement again. My dog might lose a few pounds, too: she likes to eat when I eat, and I'm snacking less often at home. I've also had to start taking a potassium supplement again. When I go below a certain carb level, my heart races sometimes and I feel jittery. Peter at the Hyperlipid blog talks about problems some people have on ketogenic diets:

The first paper which had me thinking was this one: 
"Both the pre-and post-exercise levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol were enhanced"
This is the sort of thing I file as interesting. That is, until the anecdotes trickle in about people who have gone to extreme ketogenic diets and have developed abnormal cardiac rhythms. You know the thought train that grabs you when you discover LC eating, that moment of realisation: Carbs are bad. Followed by: All carbs are bad. Most people can do zero carb with absolutely no problem. With reasonable protein intakes it is really very easy and doing a "Stefansson", using an all meat diet, is not difficult. But a few people will get in to problems. If you are wired for a heart problem along the lines of Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, cranking up your adrenaline and noradrenaline levels might not be a good idea. If you have atrial fibrillation, ditto.
I'm not even on an extreme ketogenic diet; I know I'm eating more carbs than allowed on Atkins induction (20g/day). I've gotten some vegetables that are a little higher in carb, like tomatoes and portobello mushrooms, and inadvertently, butternut squash instead of spaghetti squash. I tried fried sweet potatoes a year or two ago but they didn't agree with me.

I had to look up Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. In my younger days, I was sometimes told when I went to give blood that I had sinus arrhythmia. My biological mother had four leaky heart valves. Another relative had Addison's disease, an illness of adrenal failure. Sure enough, though, some case studies have shown that administering potassium normalized patients' heartbeat. Potassium makes me feel better, too. I should take a bottle with me wherever I go. I'd hate to go the way of Kira's pursuers for the lack of a pill.

Comments

tess said…
interesting about the potassium (and magnesium).... and this in a woman who isn't intimidated by organ meats!

a commenter who wants to force everybody off the grid? have you been reading Nikoley? ;-)
Lori Miller said…
Ugh, I've gotten slack about eating organ meats. I've been eating the tasty duck pate at a twee little grocery store downtown once a week, and that's about it.

Have I been reading Nikoley? No, I'm full of enough adrenaline, thanks.
We've all got to do/eat what suits us ..... for me my daily carbs are no more than 50 and I'm feeling good! As the song says.

All the best Jan
Lori Miller said…
That's good. I remember years ago reading Dr. Davis's posts about how some of his patients were in a nutritional rock and a hard place--not tolerating much carb, but not much fat, either. I'm not quite that bad off, but the sweet spot is a small place for me.

Popular posts from this blog

Fermented bread and butter pickle recipe ft. L. Plantarum

After Dr. Davis said the other night that  L. plantarum  may reduce some of the effects of the herbicide glyphosate (which is everywhere), I'm re-running my recipe for fermented bread and butter pickles. Pickling cucumbers naturally have  L. plantarum  bacteria on them, and fermenting them with some brown sugar multiplies these bacteria. (Just don't use chlorinated water to wash them.) And if you're growing your own cucumbers, avoid spraying the fruits with  Bacillus thuringiensis , or Bt (leaves and vines are OK). It's unclear what effect a big dose of Bt would have on humans. Another benefit of DIY pickles: no emulsifiers like polysorbate 80, which is a common ingredient in pickles. If you have GI problems, it could be from emulsifiers. These sweet-and-sour pickles are the tastiest I've ever made. There's just a little added sugar (some of which the bacteria will consume) and turmeric that gives the pickles their bright color.  Special equipment Quar...

Collagen-filled Low Carb Burritos

Low-carb, grain-free Mexican food is hard to find, but it's easy to make your own at home. This recipe has an authentic ingredient: carne de lengua, or beef tongue. Don't be put off: beef tongue is tender, delicious, and full of collagen. Look for it directly from farmers in your area. To cook it, cut it in 1" to 1-1/2" slices and pressure cook for one hour. Enjoy the delicious broth as a bonus. Ingredients 1 slice cooked beef tongue, peeled and cut into small cubes 1 egg wrap (I use these  from Egglife) 1/4 cup cooked black or pinto beans Chili pepper Oregano Garlic (powdered or minced) Cumin Guacamole (with no emulsifiers) Salsa Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream or homemade cream cheese  with no emulsifiers  Put the egg wrap on a plate and put the beef and beans down the middle of it. Sprinkle with the herbs and spices. Wrap, turn over and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Spoon salsa over the burrito and sprinkle with cheese. Add guacamole and sour cream or homemade crea...

15% Off Starter Culture

Starter culture for the wonderful cream cheese I made is 15% off for the next two weeks (through June 18, 2025). The shop (BacillusBulgaricus.com) also offers rennet and starter for other cheeses, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sour cream, fermented vegetables, and more. They ship to 118 countries across six continents. The coupon code is LORI_sekd3tkb at bacillusbulgaricus.com .  Photo from Pexels .

Getting Over Palpitations

Note to new readers: please note I'm not a health care provider and have no medical training. If you have heart palpitations, I have no idea whether the following will work for you. Over the past several days, I've had a rough time with heart palpitations and feeling physically jittery. I was wondering if I was going to turn into one of those people who can't sit still. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it would be a major lifestyle change. Kidding aside, something wasn't right and I really needed to get back to normal. I tried popping potassium pills like candy. I ate more. I doubled up on my iron dose. I went to yoga and even got on the treadmill at 6 AM yesterday. I tried the nuclear option of eating more carbs to stop peeing away minerals. Most of these things helped, but the problem kept coming back. A comment from Galina made me look up epinephrine, one of the drugs my surgeon used to anesthetize me Friday. First, the assistant at the surge...

Carrageenan: A Sickening Thickener. Is it a Migraine Menace?

Let me tell you about my ride in an ambulance last night. I woke up at six o'clock from a nap with a mild headache. I ate dinner and took my vitamins, along with a couple of extra magnesium pills. Since magnesium helps my TMJ flare-ups, I thought it might help my headache. Then I went to see my mother. A few hours later, I had a severe headache, sinus pain and nausea. During a brief respite from the pain, I left for home, but less than a mile later, I got out of my car and threw up. A cop, Officer Fisher, pulled up behind me and asked if I was okay. He believed me when he said I hadn't been drinking, but he said I seemed lethargic and he wanted the paramedics to see me. (Later he mentioned that a man he'd recently stopped was having a stroke.) Thinking I had a migraine headache, the paramedics wanted to take me to the hospital. But since I knew that doctors don't know what causes migraine headaches, and I didn't know what effect their medicine would have on m...