Recent Episodes
Too Much of a Good Thing
When a 54-year-old construction worker in Massachusetts collapsed, EMS arrived within minutes yet he died a day later. The cause? When doctors spoke to his family they learned he had been eating one to two large packs of licorice flavored candy daily for three weeks. The man had no idea eating that much licorice would stop his heart.
Licorice is an herb and its root has been used since ancient times by various peoples from the Egyptians to the Chinese. They used it to treat everything from respiratory to gastrointestinal issues. In the sixteenth century, English monks introduced licorice and a local chemist added sugar so that licorice candy popped up all over England.
A compound in licorice called glycyrrhizic acid gives the black candy its distinctive flavor. In the body, it converts to glycyrrhetinic acid or GA which mimics a hormone called aldosterone. If someone eats too much licorice the GA can increase blood pressure and disrupt the heart rhythm by interfering with the balance of electrolytes, sodium and potassium. Even when they stop eating the candy, licorice stays in their systems for weeks, especially people over the age of forty with a heart, kidney or liver problem.
The FDA has issued an advisory about the toxic treat which I'm sure a number of people are obviously unaware of. So, if you like licorice, stick to the red ones or eat the black ones but as a rare treat.
More Information
Case 30-2020: A 54-Year-Old Man with Sudden Cardiac Arrest
r. Jacqueline B. Henson (Medicine): A 54-year-old man was evaluated at this hospital after cardiac arrest associated with ventricular fibrillation.
A history of the therapeutic use of liquorice in Europe
It was 56 years ago today that John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in a bitter contest against the incumbent Vice President, Richard Nixon. It was one of the closest elections in American history, and some people still doubt its outcome...
The Spooky and Dangerous Side of Black Licorice
Black licorice may look and taste like an innocent treat, but this candy has a dark side. On Sept. 23, 2020, it was reported that black licorice was the culprit in the death of a 54-year-old man in Massachusetts. How could this be? Overdosing on licorice sounds more like a twisted tale than a plausible fact...
Black Licorice: Trick or Treat?
As it turns out, you really can overdose on candy-or, more precisely, black licorice. Days before the biggest candy eating holiday of the year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages moderation if you enjoy snacking on the old fashioned favorite...
