Man dies from eating 1.5 bags of black licorice per day

[Demovictory9]

Black licorice is disgusting tasting.


Too much candy: Man dies from eating bags of black licorice
Doctors say a Massachusetts construction worker’s love of black licorice wound up costing him his life

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.

“It’s more than licorice sticks. It could be jelly beans, licorice teas, a lot of things over the counter. Even some beers, like Belgian beers, have this compound in it,” as do some chewing tobaccos, said Dr. Robert Eckel, a University of Colorado cardiologist and former American Heart Association president. He had no role in the Massachusetts man’s care.

The death was clearly an extreme case. The man had switched from red, fruit-flavored twists to the black licorice version of the candy a few weeks before his death last year. He collapsed while having lunch at a fast-food restaurant. Doctors found he had dangerously low potassium, which led to heart rhythm and other problems. Emergency responders did CPR and he revived but died the next day.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/candy-man-dies-eating-bags-black-licorice-73203407

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Licorice in my herbal tea gave me acute kidney failure. Always read

the box!

[Demovictory9]

3. omg

[LuckyCharms]

6. Yikes! Sorry to hear this.

Did your kidneys come back to normal, I hope?

[njhoneybadger]

8. That box should have had a skull and crossbones on it

[Cracklin Charlie]

14. Does Dr Pepper contain this compound?

I drank Dr Pepper once when I was pregnant. I had a kidney infection a couple hours later.

Haven’t had it since.

[Rule of Claw]

2. Break time. More than enough internet for time being.

[Silent3]

4. I don't mind black licorice, but it's far from my favorite thing

It's been so long since I had any I can't remember the last time.

And there's not candy I like so much that I'd eat a bag and a half a day, day after day! The thought of that makes me too.

[luvs2sing]

5. Hyperaldosteronism

The levels of sodium and potassium control blood pressure and heart rhythm. If potassium is too low, sodium spikes, and so does your blood pressure. I’ve been living with this condition for four years, and it is well-controlled with medication. I’ve never eaten black licorice, but it’s on my list of things to avoid.

[DFW]

7. I despise the taste of black licorice

I think if I consumed 1.5 grams per year, it would do me in.

[Tracer]

16. Me too. Hate the stuff.

NT

[DFW]

17. Just across the border in Holland, they make tons of the stuff

My wife and daughters love it. I keep my distance whenever they even take it out of the jar.

[Retrograde]

28. Is it anything like that Finnish salt liquorice

that tastes and smells strongly of ammonia (to put it politely)? It has what they call in the wine world a "long finish" so you get to enjoy that horrible taste for quite a while. Blech!

[DFW]

29. No idea. I haven't been to Finland in decades

If their licorice is well-known, then it's probably sold in Sweden, where I go every now and then, but I would never ask for licorice anyway, so I can't tell you anything you don't already know. Licorice and DFW don't mix.

[nolabear]

20. Meeeeeee too.

Horrid, horrid stuff!

[DFW]

21. Black Lives Matter. Black licorice does NOT! n/t

[nolabear]

22. I snort laughed. Typo?

[DFW]

23. My absolute WORST typo ever!!

Thanks for catching it. Already corrected.

I laughed too when I saw it, but some might take it the wrong way.

[nolabear]

25. I do like liver though.

[Kahuna]

9. Ew. nt

[dalton99a]

10. Makes you wonder how many people have died from eating this shit

[Paladin]

11. Well, shit. I should have known there was a catch.

Black licorice doesn't pose any threat to me, I hate the stuff. Jelly beans and Belgian beer? Those are different matters entirely....

[Demovictory9]

13. I assume they mean black jelly beans

[Paladin]

18. Perhaps there's hope after all. Many thanks. (nt)

[Earthshine2]

12. Another reason to throw away the black jelly beans.

Always hated them.

[Demovictory9]

26. Me too. And i hate that licorice tasting plant & fennel

[lagomorph777]

31. Did you ever stick 'em on the bottom of the movie theater seat?

Or just chuck 'em under the seat in front of you, like everybody else?

[Wednesdays]

15. Most "licorice" sold as candy is artificially flavored

Real licorice is much better tasting, IMHO, but is not as common. I can't stand the artificial stuff.

[marybourg]

19. Surprisingly, unless specially manufactured, licorice also contains

gluten.

[exboyfil]

24. I love black licorice

And I have been known to finish off a large package in a day or so. I knew about the waistline implications, but now I have another reason to avoid it besides its impact on my diet (and blood sugar).

Hope cinnamon doesn't have problems as well. That is my fall back. It is easier to get cinnamon based hard candies than black licorice anyway, and I have switched to that to reduce the calories.

[radius777]

27. Why is it sold (especially without a warning) if poses this danger.

Kids and others could eat alot of it and not realize.

From what the article suggests, stuff like Twizzler and jellybeans don't have much (if any) real licorice.

[lagomorph777]

30. Black licorice is truly gross - and if real, also dangerous.

Most licorice is fake or has the active ingredient removed, as far as I know, but the real deal is a pretty potent drug.

[Lucinda]

32. Wow. That is horrible. I avoid anything sweet except honey, dates, fruit, etc because of severe

joint pain, but I loved licorice back in the day.... I can understand someone stress eating sweets for comfort...His friends and family are in my prayers...

❤️ ~✿~❧~🌿~❧~✿~ ❤️