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The 54-year-old man suffered sudden cardiac arrest. At the time he was in a fast food restaurant and should not have shown any symptoms beforehand.
According to the BBC, a few weeks before his death, the man had changed his habitual consumption of sweets, from red fruit sticks to another type of black liquorice. It is said that he consumed about a bag and a half per day (however, it is not clear how much the bags contain).
Licorice caused death
In a scientific article published in the magazine The New England Journal of Medicinewrites Dr. Elazer R Edelman that glycyrrhizinic acid, which is naturally found in sweet licorice, caused death.
He writes, among other things, that the substance can cause hypertension (high blood pressure), hypokalemia (potassium deficiency), metabolic alkalosis (acid-base disorder), heart rhythm and kidney failure, and that all of these were found in the patient. Another doctor confirms the link between high licorice consumption and death.
50 grams of licorice – risk consumption
According to the Medical Products Agency, there is a risk of side effects in sensitive people who regularly consume 50 grams of licorice candy or more per day. Children are more sensitive than adults due to their lower body weight and therefore it is recommended not to eat licorice regularly.
People with high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease, and pregnant women are also among potential risk groups. However, that high consumption of licorice leads to death is one of the unusual things.
– It is very rare that I die from an excessive intake of licorice. During my 25 years as a doctor, I have never encountered anything like this, says Håkan Fureman, who works as an endocrinologist at Östersund Hospital.
Gives effect on blood pressure
He also doesn’t think you should worry if you eat licorice every now and then.
– If you know that you are a heavy consumer, you should review your intake and have it. If you’re concerned, you can get your blood pressure under control, it usually gives an early rise in blood pressure if you take too large amounts, he says.
There are currently no limit values for glycyrrhizinic acid in Sweden. However, for foods that contain high levels of the substance, there are rules about how they should be labeled on the packaging.
