"Black licorice can lead to heartarrhythmias and other health problems when consumed by adults in large quantities, the FDAnoted in its pre-holiday alert.
Experts say that consuming 2 ouncesof black licorice per day for two weeks can set the heart stuttering insusceptible individuals. The culprit is a compound called glycyrrhizin, whichis what gives licorice its sweet flavor.
Glycyrrhizin causes the kidneys toexcrete potassium. And low levels of potassium can make the heart beatdangerously fast or out of sync, says Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor ofcardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, School ofMedicine.
The compound also leads to salt andwater retention which can be a problem for people with heart failure or highblood pressure, Fonarow said.
It’s long been known in somecultures that licorice was more than just a sweet indulgence. In certain partsof the world, the chewy stuff is prescribed to treat everything from heartburnto bronchitis to viral infections. So far, though, there hasn’t been a studyproving that licorice can cure anything, the FDA alert noted.
Because licorice is abioactive food, which means it can tweak metabolic processes in the body,you also have to worry about interactions with medications, Fonarow said."
Source: msnbc.com
No comments:
Post a Comment