DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband, age 67, was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. He began feeling weak, and got dizzy every time he stood. We both had started on the keto diet together about a week prior. I’m a registered nurse. After taking his blood pressure and finding it to be low for him, I thought he was dehydrated. I fed him extra carbs and lots of fluids, but nothing changed. So we went to the emergency room.

The following day, he began having chest pain, sweating and shortness of breath, so we went back to the emergency room. More tests ruled out a heart attack, and when his heart converted back to a normal rhythm, he was sent home until his stress test. He remained on a regular diet and hasn’t had any more symptoms since then, and also passed his stress test.

Do you have thoughts on ketosis causing atrial fibrillation? — L.S.

ANSWER: The ketogenic diet uses very low amounts of carbohydrates to create a condition called “ketosis,” where the body has ketones in the blood and urine.

The connection with atrial fibrillation is not clear. An early study noted that several people developed atrial fibrillation during diet-induced ketosis; however, I could not find a well-done study to support or refute a connection. Still, atrial fibrillation is common, and it may have nothing to do with the diet.