7 Supplements That Can Cause Heart Palpitations

Getting enough vitamins and minerals helps your body function at its best. But getting too much or too little of a particular nutrient can sometimes cause problems.

Take a fluttering heart beat, for example. Though rare, there are some supplements that can cause heart palpitations. And on the flip side, there are also some vitamin deficiencies that can cause heart palpitations.

Here's which vitamins can cause heart palpitations, why it can happen and how to deal with it.

Having too much calcium in your blood — a condition called hypercalcemia — can sometimes lead to heart palpitations, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat due to calcium are very rare and are the result of severe hypercalcemia.

Per the Mayo Clinic, hypercalcemia can develop if you take high doses of vitamin D or calcium supplements, are severely dehydrated, are immobile for a long period of time or if you take certain medications (like some diuretics). It can also be caused by an underlying condition, such as:

• Hyperparathyroidism
• Cancer
• Sarcoidosis
• Tuberculosis
• A rare genetic disorder called familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia

If you suspect you have hypercalcemia, visit your doctor to get your levels tested and plan your treatment. And if you have an underlying condition that affects your body's ability to process calcium (like kidney disease), work with your doctor or dietitian to develop a diet plan that's right for you.

If you don't have any health concerns, though, stick to the recommended daily allowance for calcium based on your age and sex assigned at birth, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS):

Vitamin D is another supplement that can cause heart palpitations when taken in high amounts.

A March 2018 review in ‌Circulation‌ found having excess vitamin D in your system was linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes an irregular and often rapid heartbeat.

Taking doses of 60,000 international units every day over the course of months can lead to this toxicity, according to the Mayo Clinic, though the researchers involved in the ‌Circulation‌ study noted more research is needed to determine the safe upper limit for vitamin D.

To prevent this issue, adults should stick to the recommended 600 international units of vitamin D per day and 800 international units a day after age 70, according to the ODS.

Visit your doctor if you show signs of a vitamin D overdose, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, can include:

• Weakness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Frequent urination

Insufficient folate (also referred to as folic acid or vitamin B9) can result in anemia, according to the ODS. Anemia, in turn, can cause heart palpitations.

Other symptoms of a folate deficiency may include:

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness
• Headache
• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating

First, visit your doctor to confirm you have a folate deficiency. If you do, your doctor can recommend the right supplement for you or may suggest adding more natural sources of folic acid to your diet, per Johns Hopkins Medicine, such as folate-rich foods like:

• Beef liver
• Vegetables like spinach, asparagus and Brussels sprouts
• Legumes like beans, peas and lentils

With the help of these foods, aim to get the recommended 400 micrograms of folate per day. Aim for 600 if you're breastfeeding a child and 500 if you're pregnant, per the ODS.

Another vitamin deficiency that can lead to heart palpitations is vitamin B12. Similar to a folate deficiency, a lack of vitamin B12 can lead to anemia and thereby result in heart palpitations, per the ODS.

A vitamin B12 deficiency can develop slowly and is often confused with other conditions, per Harvard Health Publishing, so visit your doctor to determine if you're lacking this nutrient. If you do have insufficient vitamin B12, your doctor will likely prescribe vitamins for heart palpitations and other symptoms in shot or supplement form.

It's also important to make sure you're getting enough of the nutrient if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, as animal products like meat are primary sources of B12, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Vegetarian or not, aim to get 2.4 micrograms of the vitamin per day, according to the ODS, and 2.6 if you're pregnant and 2.8 if you're breastfeeding. Good sources of vitamin B12 include:

• Seafood like clams and crabs
• Beef and beef liver
• Nutritional yeast
• Fortified cereal
• Fortified soy products like tofu, soy milk and tempeh
• Dairy products like Swiss cheese, yogurt and milk

Lysine (or L-lysine) is an amino acid that helps your body absorb calcium and produce collagen, according to Mount Sinai.

But not getting enough can cause heart palpitations indirectly: This deficiency can also lead to anemia, which can produce symptoms like irregular heartbeats, per the Mayo Clinic, as well as:

• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Loss of appetite
• Agitation
• Bloodshot eyes
• Slow growth

Eat plenty of protein-rich foods, which contain lysine, according to Mount Sinai, such as:

• Meat
• Fish
• Soy products like tofu and tempeh
• Nuts and nut butters
• Legumes like beans, peas and lentils

What other vitamin deficiency causes heart palpitations? Well, severe cases of insufficient magnesium can result in cardiac problems like abnormal heart rhythms and coronary spasms, according to the ODS.

Magnesium also plays a role in your body's use of vitamin D and calcium, which can likewise contribute to heart palpitations.

Per the ODS, other symptoms of a magnesium deficiency can include:

• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Headaches
• Numbness or tingling
• Muscle contractions or cramps

Get the right dose of the nutrient to prevent a magnesium deficiency. According to the ODS, that means getting the following daily amounts:

Magnesium-rich foods include:

• Leafy greens like Swiss chard and spinach
• Starchy vegetables like potatoes and squash
• Avocados
• Beans
• Salmon

Potassium is another supplement that can cause heart palpitations if you're not getting enough. It's an essential mineral and electrolyte that helps your heartbeat stay steady, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Too little potassium can result in a condition called hypokalemia, which in severe cases can cause heart-related issues like palpitations and arrhythmias, per the ODS.

Other symptoms of hypokalemia to look out for include:

• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Burning or prickling feeling in your arms and legs

On the flip side, having too much potassium in your system — a condition called hyperkalemia — can lead to similar issues, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). In severe cases, it can lead heart arrhythmias.

People with kidney problems, heart problems and diabetes and those taking certain medications (like drugs to lower blood pressure) are at increased risk for this health issue. Per the AHA, other symptoms can include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal cramping
• Slow, weak or irregular pulse
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness

Prevent a potassium deficiency or overload by eating the right daily amounts of the mineral, per the ODS:

• ‌Assigned female at birth:‌ 2,600 milligrams
  • ‌During pregnancy:‌ 2,900 milligrams
  • ‌While breastfeeding:‌ 2,800 milligrams
• ‌Assigned male at birth:‌ 3,400 milligrams

It's best to get your dose primarily through food sources of potassium, like:

• Leafy greens like beet greens and Swiss chard
• Starchy vegetables like potatoes and squash
• Fruit like avocados, bananas and melons
• Legumes like beans, lentils and peas
  
• Fish like salmon and halibut

While certain vitamins and minerals can cause heart palpitations, it's much more likely for something else in your diet to be causing this issue, such as:

"Heart palpitations are a potential concern with supplements containing green tea, guarana, yerba mate or kola nut — all ingredients that naturally contain caffeine," says Tod Cooperman, MD, president of Consumerlab.com, an independent testing company focused on health and nutrition products in White Plains, New York.

These ingredients are often combined in weight-loss supplements — some of which include straight caffeine, he says. Caffeine and other energizing ingredients like ginseng and taurine may also be in supplements that claim to enhance cognitive function, per a March 2018 study in the ‌International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism‌‌.‌

Energy drinks, which contain stimulants including caffeine, may also cause heart palpitations, especially in kids, according to a December 2017 study in ‌Pediatric Emergency Care‌. Some 40 percent of teens in the study reported a side effect from energy drinks, including heart palpitations.

In addition to supplements (especially those that contain caffeine or other stimulants), nicotine in tobacco products can lead to an irregular or fast-paced heartbeat, per the Mayo Clinic.

Some medications can make your heart race, according to the Mayo Clinic, including:

• Asthma inhalers
• Decongestants
• Drugs that control heart rhythm
  
• Thyroid medication
• Some over-the-counter cough and cold medicines

If you notice your heart starting to flutter, review all the medications and supplements you take to see if you can identify a cause, Dr. Cooperman says. "Stop any stimulant and caffeine-containing supplements, including energy drinks," he says.

If it's a prescription drug, over-the-counter medication or supplement you believe is causing your heart palpitations, ask your doctor about alternatives. And remember — the FDA doesn't require supplements to be proven safe or effective before they're sold, so there's no guarantee that any supplement you take is safe, contains the ingredients it says it does or produces the effects it claims.

Fortunately, a fluttering heartbeat that's infrequent or short-lived is often harmless and goes away on its own, so there's usually no need to learn how to control heart palpitations naturally.

But if you have a history of heart disease and experience palpitations that are occurring more frequently or getting worse, they can be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition, like an irregular heartbeat, per the Mayo Clinic. In this case, you should visit your doctor.

Other red flags that suggest heart palpitations may be a sign of something serious include:

• Chest pain
• Fainting
• Trouble breathing
• Dizziness or light-headedness

If you experience these issues, visit your doctor to determine the underlying cause and get the right treatment for your condition.