Heart palpitations are irregular heartbeats that can cause your heart to race, flutter, pound, skip beats or briefly stop. A variety of factors can trigger heart palpatations, such as anxiety, stress, emotional distress, panic, heart problems, an overactive thyroid, nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. Symptoms associated with heart palpitations include dizziness, fainting, confusion, chest pains and breathing difficulties. A variety of vitamins can regulate your heart rhythm, alleviate heart palpitations and improve the condition of your heart.
Vitamin B-3, also known as niacin, is a water-soluble vitamin that regulates your heart rate, aids in red blood cell formation, repairs heart damage, improves heart function, increases blood flow to your heart, reduces the frequency and severity of heart palpitations and alleviates anxiety attacks, a common trigger for heart palpitations, notes Alice Feinstein, author of the book "Prevention's Healing with Vitamins." The recommended daily allowance for vitamin B-3 is 16 mg for men and 14 mg for women. Foods rich in vitamin B-3 include light meat chicken, pink salmon, enriched pasta, lima beans, brewed coffee, light tuna packed in water, peanuts and lean beef.
Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin, is a fat-soluble vitamin that improves heart function, repairs heart damage, regulates your heart rhythm, aids in red blood cell production, prevents anemia, alleviates symptoms associated with heart palpitations such as dizziness, heart flutters and fainting and reduces your homocysteine levels, reports Steve Blake, author of the book "Vitamins and Minerals Demystified." Blake explains that high homocysteine levels can prevent blood from reaching your heart and increase your risk of heart palpitations, strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and cardiovascular disease. The recommended daily dosage for vitamin B-12 is 2.4 mcg for adults. Foods rich in vitamin B-12 include fortified breakfast cereals, beef liver, clams, salmon, trout, milk and eggs.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that strengthens your immune system and protects your heart from harmful free radicals that can damage it, according to Nicola Reavley, author of the book "The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements, & Herbs." Reavley explains that vitamin C also lowers your risk of heart palpitations, heart attacks and strokes, improves heart function, relieves symptoms associated with heart palpitations such as dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain and fainting, transports oxygen and blood to your heart, regulates your blood pressure and balances fluctuating hormones, a common cause of heart palpitations. The recommended daily dosage for vitamin C is 1,000 mg for adults. Foods rich in vitamin C include strawberries, cranberries, kiwifruit, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, kale, turnip greens, pineapples, oranges and grapefruits.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents your heart ventricles from prematurely contracting, repairs heart damage, supports cardiovascular health, improves heart function, eases chest pain and heart flutters, provides a sense of calmness, promotes sound sleep, decreases oxidative stress in the body that can cause heart palpitations and lowers your risk heart arrhythmias, heart attacks and strokes, according to Michael F. Holick, author of the book "The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Heart Problems." The recommended daily dosage for vitamin D is 15 for adults. Foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, tuna, milk, orange juice, sardines, yogurt, eggs, liver beef, margarine and ready-to-eat cereals.
- “Prevention's Healing with Vitamins"; Alice Feinstein; 1996
- “Burgerstein's Handbook of Nutrition: Micronutrients in the Prevention and Therapy of Disease”; Michael Zimmermann; 2001
- “Vitamins and Minerals Demystified”; Steve Blake; 2007
- “Heart Health: The At Your Fingertips Guide”; Graham Jackson; 2004
- “The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements, & Herbs”; Nicola Reavley; 1999
- “The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Heart Problems”; Michael F. Holick; 2010