Bananas and palpitations

[JillB13]

I have noticed that after every time I eat a banana, my heart has fairly strong palpitations for 1-2 minutes. It is the oddest thing. Does anyone have any information about this? I have never had a food allergy, but for some reason these episodes happen like clockwork immediately after I eat a banana.

I currently take atenolol 50mg once per day to deal with another minor arrythmia, but this seems much different.

[Sirenet]

I found this thread A-peeling. I don't want to slip up though, and make a monkey out of myself. Could make my heart skip a beat......


                                                ;-)~~~~~~~~

[Bromley]

Excuse me for making light of this.  (I read the earlier posts and lost track of dates.)

Its crazy how you can find such diversity on the internet isn't it?  Most of us have no problem with bananas, but yes the reality of the situation is that there are millions of us and statistics would have it that if it anything could happen then it will.  

I am really sorry about my inappropriate post...

[Bromley]

This cant possibly be the effect on blood biochemistry if it happens immediately after eating only one (I assume you eat only one at a time even though your write does leave a loop hole --- if every time you have A bananna, you also eat Ten additional bananas... well, I think you see what I am getting at).  More likely the geometry, mechanical properties, or acidity.  You know you would have to absorb some of that potassium for it to affect you, and that takes time, so I am thinking it must be affecting the way you sense things in your esophagus. May be it is creating pressure, or acid build up is affecting something there.  It is hard to say.

However, I can tell you that I have never had a banana I didn't like, nor one the ever gave me even a single PVC.

[RNRita]

Again, I don't think it is the potassium in the banana, although I'd never rule anything out with these bodies we've got.  Possibly, it is just the type of food.  As stated before, people with GERD and indigestion, gas, etc can get a lot more PVC's with that.  Maybe your body has trouble digesting them, as I do.  When your body is struggling to digest, the vagus nerve is activating and since it is the same nerve responsible for the cardiac....it may be doing what we GERD sufferers know....giving us fun days!

[empressofq13]

Google "Help I am allergic to banana" and you will find an article by David Cowley.  It really explains allergies from bananas and other fruits.  Some of the proteins in a banana can cause heart palps!  AND YES if it is an allergy...it can happen immediately!  Look what happens to someone allergic to peanuts.  They can just smell one and go into shock.  A friend of mine had to be intubated immediately because of his peanut allergy.  He ate a cookie which he didn't know had been sitting next to a peanut butter cookie.  Went into immediate swelling.  Check into this!  
Cindy

[mickidee222]

The reason I came to this web site is because I was wondering if anyone else besides myself experienced palpitations after eating a banana. I've been near being a basket case for two months now, but have had them before. I've had echocardiograms and all prove nothing more than stress. So what the heck causes the darned things?
I try to power up on potassium because diuretics in my BP med depletes the potassium. I'd much rather keep a good balance of potassium by eating the proper foods than take those white caplets large enough to choke a horse. The body can get rid of excess potassium it gets from food, but cannot dispose of excess potassium by supplements when there's too much in the system. But back to the banana thing, I've noticed the palpitations start up after I've had my morning banana.

[sandra528]

Happens to me, too.  It's happening right now.  I think it's the sugar in the banana.  As I've got older, I get a reaction from sugar.  I very seldom have anything with sugar anymore.  Didn't think the banana would bother me, but when I researched it, it said it was like eating 12 teaspoons of sugar.