The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Anyone With Afib?

donsabi's picture
donsabi

Anyone With Afib?

I deal with afib everyday and I try to find ways to prevent attacks.  I have been baking bread for years believing I was doing the healthy thing.  I have just learned that one afib trigger is tyramine and I was surprised as to which foods are high in tyramine.

As I search the Web I find some contary information about tyramine in breads.  I have found references on homemade breads being both high in tyramine and others stating homemade breads are fine.  Yet they say commercial breads are OK and sourdough is high in tyramines.  Very confusing.

I bake with a basic recipe of five items and use a slow rise by refrigerating my mixed dough overnight.  It's delicious and I thought very healthy.

Comments appreciated. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

I don't have afib. But my mom does as part of broader issues and I spend a fair bit of time managing her health. What do you mean by your having "attacks"? Do you mean shortness of breath? I hadn't heard of tryramine, so I've just googled it.  I'm skeptical that something like that could trigger a breathing episode (her primary symptom of afib) for my mom, but am curious to learn more. PS. As this is a bread forum - I'm assuming your of the belief that tryamine in bread is a trigger for you. So the question that comes up then for me is - how much bread to you eat? Or need to eat to trigger an attack? Thanks..

donsabi's picture
donsabi

There are a few causes for Atrail Fibrillation and one is Vagal which I have.  Your mother's cause could be any.  By "attacks" I meant episodes.  I think it would be wise to see if you mother's episodes are triggered by certain foods.  Perhaps not but why not rule it in or out.  Foods containing high amounts of tyramine are known to trigger afib and certain breads are amongh them.  This brings me to the quesiton I was asking.  Since then I think I have found my answer.

The list of breads high in tyramine includes sourdough and yeast leavened breads.  I thought that yeast leavened breads included the bread I bake but since I posted I learned that I bake with dry yeast and that is not the same as leavened yeast breads.  Homemade dry yeast breads are fine for people with afib.

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

and my family tree is full of it...  My Grandfather, the eldest lived to be 98yrs old, my mom is 87 and everyone I know who deals with it (me, 1st cousins and some of their kids)  are still alive.  So count your blessings.  The next generation is also getting the passed on info and we calm their nerves, welcome them to the longevity club and compare notes.  Low potassium, low progesterone and adrenaline spurts from quick movements seem to trigger and so does something in some coffees.  Add sugar or carbohydrates (like found in bread, more so with sweet toppings) and one feels like an episode can kick in at any moment.  Add activity and it usually does.  

My advise is to make sure you drink your daily amount of water, go easy on the sweets and have a half banana or a potato at least once a week.  Any kind of yeast doesn't bother that anyone has noticed but wheat breads tend to.  Might be involved with a blood sugar spike as well.  Try a different grain.

Tyramine sounds interesting.