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Glycyrrhizin, which is what gives licorice its sweet flavor, can cause the heart to beat dangerously fast.
While indulging our sweet-tooth may be a time-honored Halloween tradition, there’s one tasty morsel that could turn out to be more of a trick than a treat for some of us, the Food and Drug Administration warns.
Black licorice can lead to heart arrhythmias and other health problems when consumed by adults in large quantities, the FDA noted in its pre-holiday alert.
Experts say that consuming 2 ounces of black licorice per day for two weeks can set the heart stuttering in susceptible individuals. The culprit is a compound called glycyrrhizin, which is what gives licorice its sweet flavor.
Glycyrrhizin causes the kidneys to excrete potassium. And low levels of potassium can make the heart beat dangerously fast or out of sync, says Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine.
The compound also leads to salt and water retention which can be a problem for people with heart failure or high blood pressure, Fonarow said.
It’s long been known in some cultures that licorice was more than just a sweet indulgence. In certain parts of the world, the chewy stuff is prescribed to treat everything from heartburn to bronchitis to viral infections. So far, though, there hasn’t been a study proving that licorice can cure anything, the FDA alert noted.
Because licorice is a bioactive food, which means it can tweak metabolic processes in the body, you also have to worry about interactions with medications, Fonarow said.
“Licorice can be a problem for people taking diuretics, digoxin and laxatives,” Fonarow said, explaining that the combination of the candy with these medications can also drive potassium down to dangerously low levels. “It can also interfere with normal cortisol metabolism.”
Some studies have suggested that licorice can drive up blood pressure in women taking oral contraceptives because of the potassium effect.
The FDA suggests that everyone, young and old, be careful about how much black licorice they consume at one time.
And if you’re one of the unlucky ones who develops an irregular heart rhythm or muscle weakness after eating a lot of licorice, the agency suggests you “stop eating it immediately and contact your healthcare provider.
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So does drinking water and breathing air.
Like the aspirin manufactures, the licorice makers will pay some journalist to publish a 'scientific study" showing licorice has therapeutic value including curing cancer.
Soft drinks such as Pepsi and Coca Cola are laced with harmful chemicals including caffeine, high concentration of corn-syrup and phosphoric acid and yet, the media never criticize these two consumer products. Why? Because they pay big advertisement dollars.
The media is a whore.
yeah, science is bunk, we should burn all books except the Bible.
It won't cure cancer, but it does have therapeutic value. Licorice stimulates the stomach to produce more mucous, which is what lines and protects the stomach and duedenom from stomach acid. Individuals with ulcers can benefit from taking DGL, which is de-glycyrrhizinated licorice, which makes it not have the side-effects pointed out in the article.
On a side note, I love licorice and eat it by the handfuls when I get chance. Never had a problem.
There are loads of things that are good for you in small quantities and quite harmful in large quantities. This is nothing special, like everything else in life, moderation is essential.
So does drinking water and breathing air.
Yeah, if you drink enough water it's bad for you..... :)
Do you live in a parallel universe, FatCat? The media, school boards, AMA...all have been slamming soft drinks for years. Yesterday a lead article on this site said that teens who drink soft drinks are likely to be criminal.
none of these things are harmful or dangerous when taken in moderation.
FDA, eh? My grandfather told me what that stood for, but I can't repeat the first word on these boards...
Oh, WTF.
He said it stood for the "F****** Dummy Administration".
What fear mongering! Licorice is a natural medicinal cure that has been used for thousands of years. It's a non-Story! Obviously one reporter had no story by deadline!
Who the hell eats that much licorice? If I ate 2 ounces in a day, I wouldn't eat any more for a month! Nobody in their right mind eats licorice candy on a daily basis.
I do, love the stuff get it in bulk at winco, please tell me its not true
Who the hell cares? What a wasted study. Kids eat a stick or two of licorice with no ill effect at all. This is not a regular daily food. An adult doing this is overdoing it in other areas likely.
AGREE!!! :D
imagine fair and balance , then there would be no whores...hehe
just stop consuming natural substances like licorice because they can have complications interacting with all the drugs you take which are approved by the fda, eat cheez puffs and mountain dew instead and you'll live a long life the fda guarantees it
So silly. I stopped paying attention to minor stuff like this way back when they decided that grilling food over charcoals caused ingestion of carcinogens. Honestly, this is supposed to be a big deal? Unless you're seriously abusing yourself, enjoy yourself and unwind a bit; the reduction in stress levels alone will more than offset the damage incurred by some licorice sticks. Besides, great sex will rev up the heart rate too. If a study showed that you could live a few years longer by giving up sex, would it be worth it to you? It wouldn't to me, that's certain! It seems like genetics plays a more significant role oftentimes than environment when it comes to longevity anyway. I've seen 90+ year olds who still continue a lifelong lifestyle that the experts claim should have had them taking a dirt nap decades ago. Hmmm, I'm craving licorice, now!
Once again, making a huge stretch trying to come up with a "story". How in the world do they figure this merits a headline?
What about all of the dangers of Rx drugs that the FDA does not bother to tell us about?
Edwin all the information is publicly available if you ever care to look it up...best place to start is the label and package insert (disclosures which are regulated, reviewed, and approved by FDA), pubmed, googlescholar, clincaltrials.org, pharmacists desk reference book, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum.
LOL Edwin they do tell us but by page three of the warnings we figure out were going to die anyway!
Question - is this the black licorice that the rest of the world thinks of, or is it the fake black licorice sold here in America?
I have to think it's the fake suff here because the real suff is supposed to be good for you.....
Probably the cheap stuff made here -- artificial.
Alun - Are you confusing what many people in the US only think of as black licorice? Alot of people like to eat that red vine crap you find in grocery stores, and they think they're having a mouth party. I can find authentic black licorice without too much effort in my area. I have no intent of giving it up, even if the FDA says it causes global warming.
I think they actually mean the real stuff. The stuff here is mostly artificial with flavorings and no actual herbal content in them. The compound described above (yes I'm too lazy to copy and paste it) is only found in real licorice plants and they are only used in the black licorice from other places in the world. Besides this fact, let's ask what they mean by 2 ounces per day for 2 weeks. How potent was the amount in the sample? In addition, why in the heck would you even bother with it? I don't know a lot of kids who eat the authentic black licorice. Plus, there aren't a lot of adults who give this kind of thing out (mostly because if they like it, they hoard it themselves).
i love the red vines and it is not crap!
btw- Napoleon loved licorice
Yes, Napoleon was a little sh*t with a licorice habit that stunted his growth both physically and mentally. Licorice is an avarice Richy
Tompca - yeah, the bible is great advice if you live 2000 years ago in a desert and have an imaginary friend in the sky... - potassium, bananas - recommended for high blood pressure folks..difference?
The study says the culprit in licorice LOWERS the potassium.... that would be the difference.
I'm sure it's not the good stuff that comes from CHINA
Does this mean I have to give up my Daily shots of Sambuca?
Not all store-bought 'licorice' comes from Liquorice which is the root of the Glycyrrhiza glabraliquorice plant and is sweeter than sugar, having that distinctive licorice taste. Nowadays they use anise, other flavorings...check the label. Liquorice has medicinal value and is used in several product applications. People have the right to make their own choices.
Indeed they do, they also have the right and responsibility to be informed before they make those choices.
Licorice is my favorite candy. Put a box of chocolates next to a bag of licorice, and i'll grab the black stuff and run, you can have the chocolate. Alas, the really good stuff is sold by my favorite candy store - a 10 hour drive from here, so I don't indulge often. And, other than an expanding waistline, no adverse side effects.
This is old news. My dad and I have been indulging in black licorice for years (both the real stuff when we can get it and the fake stuff). Out of my 5 kids, only one loves it too, which is good because it lasts longer in our house than the fake red licorice. My dad told me that eating too much of it when I was a kid, could cause heart issues and give me Montezuma's revenge. So usually about 8 pieces (roughly two ounces) is all I have a day. No problems so far.
You are correct. C H E A P Licorice is made up to taste like the real stuff. Take banana flavoring. That is made from the same chemical used for dry-cleaning.....
Anise actually has medicinal properties and is used in Asia much more than here in flavoring various foods. Ginger is another plant noted for having medicinal properties and is used to flavor Asian foods.
The main ingredient in aspirin is found in the barks of many trees around the world such as "slippery elm". By the way, it works without causing bleeding problems and can be used as a poultice. Something that an aspirin won't do.
Never heard of "asprin" being in slippery elm but do know it is found in willow bark. I have heard of other medicinal properties of the slippery elm though.
Two ounces each day for two weeks. While I like the black jellybeans and even licorice 'ropes' I doubt if I ever ate that much for that long even in my darkest treat-loving days!
Ugh. When something tastes that gross, it's probably a sign that it shouldn't be eaten! With that said, how much of this crap would one actually have to eat for this to happen? It's like that time scientists announced that marichino cherries caused cancer.... if you eat thousands of them!
lol Allie, it's definitely love it or hate it.
So how many people have actually died as a result of ingesting too much black licorice? If not many then I dont see where the problem is.
It happens, if that's what you mean. I found a list of incidents here:
#category5
Damn, I love that stuff! And I do have an irregular heart beat. Guess I can't indulge anymore.
I like it in liquid form- Sambuca anyone?
anise liqueur... but sure I'll have a few
Actually, am one of those lucky individuals with a heart arrhythmia, have been on medication for the past 40+ years and am in absolutely great shape. I was told then about black licorice and to avoid it completely - nothing with anise - no liquor, foods, candy - nothing - zip - nada.
While it may not sound like a big deal to some - it most certainly can be to others. Timing is perfect too - we are coming up on the biggest candy pig-out of the year.....Halloween.
Like most things in life - if used/consumed in moderation and combined with common-sense - you are fine. For those of you unencumbered - just a new bit - or bite - of knowledge for your next Trivial Pursuit game.
My mom was warned many years ago not to eat black licorice. She has high blood pressure (which I inherited), so it could have been just due to BP or it could also have been a drug interaction. Lucky for me, I hate the stuff and never had a problem avoiding it.
I wonder if it could be used therapeutically for people whose potassium is too high - as a result of kidney disease and use of ACE inhibitors? High potassium is as dangerous as low potassium, and kidney patients often have to go on potassium-restricted diets to control theirs, which really sucks because some of the healthiest foods (whole grains, nuts, most fruits and veggies) are potassium-rich.
For those of you who think low potassium is no big deal, unworthy of a news report - consider this: Terri Shiavo (remember her?) had cardiac arrest due to low potassium. It truly can be a matter of life and death.
I've been eating tons of Dutch black licorice (sweet or salted) since I was 4 years old. With Dutch licorice, you can't have "just one". According to this story, I should have been dead 50 years ago. This article is a real stretch.....I hope no one takes it too seriously.
Annie, I'm happy for you that eating licorice hasn't caused you any problems, but I really hope that folks who need to take this article seriously do so. Some people already have a problem with hypokalemia, and it's absolutely possible that licorice could lower their potassium to deadly levels. Assuming that your own experience extends to everyone else in the world is a bit egocentric, wouldn't you say?
You're my kind of lady Annie. Me too, started eating licorice around the age of four. I'm 68 and I still love my gummy bears, the licorice kind.
I guess if Annie took in 5000 calories a day and never gained an ounce, everyone else should follow her "diet".
yet another BS study.............
Some really bored scientist had to come up with a thesis. Next on the list, What kind of grass gives black angus cows worse heartburn, clover, switchgrass, fenway or fescue?
Duplicate to above.
Potassium is an electrolyte involved in muscle contraction - including heart muscle. Potassium levels that are too high or too low can interfere with muscles' ability to contract - including heart muscle. People have indeed experienced cardiac arrest due to low potassium levels. Don't trivialize this. Just because you haven't had a problem doesn't mean anything. The article does say "some of us" and "susceptible individuals". Personally I'm glad to get any bit of information that can help me and my loved ones make smart choices.
I have lost a lot respect for the FDA and those arsehole researchers with this crap. I have been eating black licorice in many different ways since I was a tot. I am now 68 and still around and no heart problems, and I still eat licorice gummy bears.
Flaming idiots that come up with this kind of crap should be banned from reporting. MORONS!!!!!
What scary and harmful to people is those flaming idiots in the FDA and those researchers. Both should be banned, period, they are both as worthless as teats on bullfrogs.
Gunman - you must be Dutch!! (Besides, I once read Napolean, and even the Egyptians ate licorice for its benefits. Maybe the Dutch just have it in their genes to tolerate black licorice and the rest of the world just can't handle it.
They're not saying everyone should avoid it, any more than they are saying that everyone should avoid peanuts just because some people are allergic.
I love licorice, too, but if I had a problem maintaining potassium levels, I would be glad someone was on the ball and informing me of the potential problems with any food. The FDA is just doing its job.
Damned if they do, damned if they don't.
Chew, Beat
Chew, Beat
Chew, Beat Beat
Chew, Beat
Black licorice: The Devil's candy. Awful stuff. Tastes so bad, made me die on the inside after my mom made me try it when I was little.
To me, it comes as no surprise to find out it's bad for you. Anything that tastes that bad has to have some lethal properties.
You need help.
If evil had a flavor, that flavor would be black licorice. Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Note also, most things in history with the name beginning in "black" were not good things:
The black death, black plague
Black Swan
Ok, so those are the only two I can think of. I was thinking "dark ages", which is close to black, but that wouldn't work for my argument, because I love dark chocolate...
Don't think, you're giving people headaches.
PS Aimee, I love dark chocolate too, preferably over milk chocolate, but your thinking of licorice is way off base.
what the hell does the devil have to do with licorice? I can think of 100's of other things that taste worse than licorice, i just dont have the will power to make the 'black' list like aimee
Oh my, another "sweetener" that's being blacklisted (pun not intended, I like it though; the Japanese have used glycyrrhizin for a "natural" sweetener since the "cyclamate" days of the '70's). You should see what the British folks routinely say about aspartame these days. And of course there's the the crowd blasting high fructose corn syrup; I'm miffed at that one ever since they slipped it into Coca-Cola and insisted it didn't alter the taste. Except I've got a bottle of real Coke in my fridge smuggled in from Mexico--actually, I bought it at Wal-mart--and I can tell the difference. What is it, our Puritan heritage that insists that these things that give a modest of bit of essentially non-psychotropic relief to our often painful lives must be singled out and vilified? And yet the side-effects of medications are routinely offered as disclaimers in the advertising we see, and Utah's Senator Hatch has made sure the claims of the health food/herbal supplements industry are never really subject to review and challenge.
Of course sugar was the original culprit. Odgen Nash paid tribute to its effectiveness, but noted liquor was more efficacious. He definitely had the bluenoses' attention with that one...
I have had the "real" Coca Cola made from the "original" recipe. In spite of what was publicized a few decades ago, it wasn't Kola Nuts from South America that went into the drink, it was another import.
It originally was sold strictly as a medicine, not a soft drink. After Chandler sold the formulation, Kola nuts entered the scene and that mysterious leaf vanished. They even use an artificial flavoring for that ingredient (Kola nut) now in many of the make believes.
Very suspicious! I think the Candy Corn manufacturers are behind this study- look at the timing (Pre-Halloween)! If this doesn't work, the headlines get even more sensational "Licorice the new Black Death!"
Happy Holloween!
Well I love black licorice so I will continue to have it on occassion
what some people fail to understand is... A product having side effects does not mean it will happen to everybody. Much like global warming does not eliminate the all snow from the world.
One more half baked study by half baked people with half baked "facts" released to half bakd media stating that something "could" be harmful. Half baked government agencies spend billions on these half baked studies at taxpayer expense, then publish inconclusive results based on extreme situations. How many people eat at least two ounces of black licorish per day?
The homeopathic community has known the benefits and limits of licorish for many years, perhaps thousands since the ancient Chinese herbilists used the substance as a medicine. Perhaps if we quit trying for sensationalism and performed real, intelligent studies rather than releasing incorrect information based on creating fear these people could be more believable.
How many things "may cause" cancer have been completely unfounded and based on far less than rational research methods. Remember how liver consumption could cause all sorts of bad things, mainly birth defects? Turns out a woman would have to eat several pounds of liver every day for the entire pregnancy before enough "bad" hormones could cause any harm.
Enough is enough. Stop spending money on stupid research by stupid people.
On the other hand if they were completely baked there would be no licorice left to study on in the lab and there would be no report!
Words of wisdom no doubt? The FDA says.... egad the highly respected and under rated FDA has spoken. Of course it is about licorice. Now anyone who is over 50 knows the dangers of licorice. It is chewy, it is sweet and it is fun to consume. But wait those are not 'dangers' are they? No, the dangers which the FDA points out are ones which ordinary folks who like licorice can't see, touch or hear.
Well, people should be aware of the chemical conditions operating within the body. Chemical imbalances, extra weight, low or no potassium and on and on the list goes. A remedy or at least a point of reference is an annual or more check up with a real physician, born in and educated in America. Not one of those ragheads who enter the US with a medical degree from Boonville Medical College or Heart Attack University. A real doctor, born in and educated in America has a better chance of proper diagnosis than someone of foreign birth and education.
How do I know ? Simple very simple... I have experienced both types. The throw back dude almost killed me in a serious misdiagnosis of a condition. Last Rites were scheduled for me. Until a fellow (actually a Dr.) saw me trying to get out of a hospital bed and came to help me. He looked at my chart and his hair practically stood on end. he had the head nurse come in and the two of them pooled their knowledge and called my son to explain to him that the issue could be solved if the medications being administered were stopped and replaced with a single med. Well in two days I was off of the 'death bed' and being prepared to go home. The throwback ‘doc’ was later denied ‘hospital privileges’.
I will never permit a throwback, raghead or third nation 'doctor' to prescribe anything for me.
Now what am I getting to. Licorice ?? Really, I seldom watch TV but I was visiting a friend and his kids had the TV on. And ad came on (I won't say which drug) and it listed the adverse side effects. Heart palpitations, diarrhea , sweating, anxiety, bloody stool, blurred vision and so on. What was this medication supposed to treat? oh yeah acne ! What ? ACNE and all of these side effects were part of the 'cure'?
The FDA seems oblivious to reality. But I have some black licorice in my refrigerator and doggone it I intend to eat it at my leisure. Damn the torpedoes and whatever .... !
Ummm, OK. Speaking of diagnosis, have you taken your meds this morning? "Raghead doctors"? Really?
You are a near moron. There are a few Pakistani, Indian, Israeli, Iranian...you name it...doctors practicing in the United States. They pass the same certifying exams as any other doctor. Some are among the elite of our medical profession. As for the licorice in your refrigerator..well, it probably doesn't need to be refrigerated. So many of us would be delighted if you ate large quantities.
Well folks , there you have it. NOTHING gets by Buffaloes Roam. Who is sadly misled if he really believes the certification process for 'foreign' doctors is the same as for American doctors. But it is a brave person indeed who while not knowing the facts can debunk them.
The AMA has a great web site. Maybe a good look at their procedures would show up your strident ignorance ?
Your use of language also languishes as does your use of remarkable words such as 'moron'.
Whew, what is next, mini marshmallows at 10 paces in a snow storm? Of course no one should be harsh with you because when you finally realize the folly of your words that awakening may cause you serious mental damage, way beyond the damage you now have.
Cheers... November 2012 is just around the corner, so to speak.
Josh Brogan, you are mistaken. Foreign doctors, even if fully credentialled in their own country of origin, must meet criteria in the U.S. in order to practice here. Yes, some of them are not good, just as some American born and trained physicians are not good. By the way, some American born doctors actually train oustide of the U.S., in places like Canada, England and Mexico.
Snoop Dogg says, "Keep the glycyrrhizin out of your hizhouse!"
Best. Comment. Ever.
And it can get you high as a kite if you smoke it.