Man dies of black licorice overdose

[Jazzy]

"A Massachusetts construction worker’s love of black licorice wound up costing him his life. Eating a bag and a half every day for a few weeks threw his nutrients out of whack and caused the 54-year-old man’s heart to stop, doctors reported Wednesday.

“Even a small amount of licorice you eat can increase your blood pressure a little bit,” said Dr. Neel Butala, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who described the case in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The problem is glycyrrhizic acid, found in black licorice and in many other foods and dietary supplements containing licorice root extract. It can cause dangerously low potassium and imbalances in other minerals called electrolytes.

Eating as little as 2 ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks could cause a heart rhythm problem, especially for folks over 40, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns."

More--> Construction worker died from eating too much black licorice
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Do any of you eat black licorice and if so, did you know you could die from eating too much of it?

 

[Lamb]

I like black licorice but only eat it a few times a year. Black licorice is known to help stomach issues and when my daughter had h. pylori we got it in pill form and it helped along with the antibiotics they put her on. The antibiotics made her issues worse and the doctors wanted to extend the treatment but the licorice did the trick because amazingly enough, she was okay the next time they tested her.

I didn't know it could kill someone so quickly though but a lot of things we think are harmless actually aren't in large quantities. Even too much water can kill.

 

[NewCreation435]

I'm feeling pretty safe right now because I don't think I have had any of that for at least 30 years

 

[tango]

I love the stuff but watch how much of it I eat. Once I ate enough to make myself violently sick, which was a warning shot to go easier on it. Then I read about how it can cause such major problems - I remember reading an article about a guy who ate some insane amount of licorice and ended up with hypokalemia that required extensive hospital treatment. Perhaps the glycyrrhizic acid bonds to the potassium and causes the problem?

Like so much else, it's best in moderation. I enjoy a good beer but if you give me enough of that I fall over and end up violently sick.

 

[Forgiven1]

Note to self, no black licorice. I have arrhythmia issues without adding anything like this to the mix.