Can gluten cause heart palpitations?
Gluten, on its own, is not associated with heart palpitations. A healthy individual is very unlikely to experience heart palpitations from gluten. However, the situation is different for patients with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten. Celiac disease can have many symptoms, including heart palpitations.
Additionally, there are cases of people with celiac disease who experience heart palpitations that improve with a gluten-free diet [1].
Also, in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, gluten may contribute to worsened heart function and, cause symptoms like heart palpitations. When patients with this disease adhered to a gluten-free diet, an improvement in heart performance was observed [2].
However, it's important to note that all the cases involve indirect impacts of gluten on the heart. There is no evidence that gluten causes any heart problems directly.
What are heart palpitations?
Heart palpitations are often referred to as sensations that the heart is missing a beat, adding an extra beat, or beating too hard or too fast. This sensation may be felt in the chest, neck, or throat [4]. Heart palpitations are usually described as an unpleasant feeling of the heartbeat. It is perceived as particularly fast, irregular, or intense [5].
Usually, heart palpitations are harmless and self-resolve without treatment. But in other cases, persistent, repetitive heart palpitations are an indication of a serious underlying condition [4].
Heart palpitations have many causes. These include bloated stomach, certain supplements, vaping or even certain medications can cause heart palpitations.
What is gluten?
Gluten is not a single substance but a complex group of proteins, mainly gliadin and glutenin. These occur naturally in grains such as wheat, rye, triticale, and barley [6, 7].
Gluten is often associated with pasta and bread. Gluten is the substance that gives these products their structure and consistency, and That is why gluten is referred to as the glue for bread [6, 7].
However, Gluten can also be found in other products, like soups and salad dressings [6].
What cardiovascular diseases can gluten cause?
Gluten on its own does not cause any cardiovascular diseases. However, celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune response to gluten, can lead to cardiovascular changes if left untreated. Unattended CD patients can develop cardiomyopathies, thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and stroke [8].
Celiac disease was found to cause oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, leading to vascular inflammation. An inflammation in the vessel impairs blood pressure regulation at the local level and, with it, hypertension (high blood pressure). It is suggested that the cytokine interleukin-17A can be responsible for these changes [9].
Another cardiovascular condition associated with celiac disease is dilated cardiomyopathy. It is a rare complication that, upon progression, lowers the amount of blood the heart can eject (the ejection fraction) [10].
Luckily, the cardiovascular complications of celica disease can often be reversed by adopting a gluten-free diet [8, 9].
How much gluten daily is healthy?
The amount of gluten that can be safely consumed daily varies. There are big differences between people with gluten-related conditions and those without.
For those without such conditions, like celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, there is no established upper limit for daily gluten intake. However, it's recommended to always balance the diet for the best health outcome.
For individuals with celiac disease, it is recommended to follow a lifelong gluten-free diet, as it is the only effective treatment for them [11].
Most people with celiac disease can tolerate up to 10 mg of gluten a day without any damage to the intestine [12]. Some suggest a range of 10–50 mg of gluten per day [13], a range that is in line with the estimated daily intake from gluten contamination in gluten-free products [14].