A cardiologist, not an online thread layperson, answers the question, “Can gas cause heart palpitations?”
Is there a true connection between farting and a flip-flopping heart?
“There is no clear cause and effect relationship between gas and palpitations. As common events, they can occur together,” says Norman E. Lepor, MD, cardiologist and internal medicine specialist Norman E. Lepor, MD, who’s with Cedars Sinai in Beverly Hills, CA.
So then, palpitations of the heart cannot possibly ever be caused by gas?
Dr. Lepor responds, “Only if one feels very embarrassed by the release of gas in public.”
The beating of the heart is driven by electrical signals. If you fart, there is no way that this will disrupt those electrical commands. Not directly, anyways.
Passing gas involves the digestive tract. Heart palpitations involve the cardiovascular system.
Though some bodily systems work closely together, such as the musculoskeletal and the nervous system, this is not the case with the digestive and the cardiovascular system.
So if you find that your heart skips a beat or jumps somewhat right after you pass gas … then consider the possibility that it’s embarrassment.
And try not to let one out when you’re around other people, especially inside a car.
Having performed over 4,000 coronary angiograms and angioplasties, Dr. Lepor has focused on prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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