What Causes Fast Heartbeat After Eating

Ever experience a fast heartbeat soon after eating? There is a specific reason for this. To find out about this phenomenon, I consulted with Robert M. Davidson, MD, a cardiologist with SignatureMD, www.signaturemd.com.

Here is what Dr. Davidson says about a fast heart rate after eating: “This is normal, assuming it is not overly fast or occurring with exertion right after eating. The blood volume is shifted to the intestine after eating, and can result in a faster heartbeat, especially if you are somewhat dehydrated. However, it should normally be only slightly faster than normal. If it is a great deal faster, it might be due to an abnormal heart rhythm.”

Eating raises the body’s energy demands. Your metabolism is actually faster after you’ve eaten. This doesn’t mean that if you want to lose weight, you should eat a lot to speed up your metabolism. But anything that increases the body’s energy demands is, not surprisingly, going to speed up the heart rate.

The body must work to process incoming food. This is why you should not eat a full meal before exercising, because the body’s energy will be focused on metabolizing what you just ate. The best time to eat a full meal is AFTER intense exercise, when the metabolism is accelerated.