A 54-Year-Old Man Died From Eating Too Much Licorice—Here’s How That Can Happen

Health.com ^ | 24 September 2020 | Maggie O'Neill

[Cronos]

A 54-year-old man in Massachusetts suffered cardiac arrest after consuming too much black licorice, a new case report from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) says. The patient was in a fast-food restaurant when he gasped suddenly and lost consciousness, according to the case report. His whole body began to shake, but he remained unresponsive even after those movements stopped.

First responders arrived about four minutes after the man lost consciousness and started doing CPR; they also shocked the patient’s heart four times and administered multiple medications, including naloxone, which is often used to treat opioid overdoses. The patient’s “mental status” returned, but then his pulse stopped, causing first responders to resume CPR.

He arrived at a hospital half an hour after he’d gone into cardiac arrest, still unconscious. “The patient was an unresponsive, middle-aged man who had undergone mechanical CPR and had no external signs of trauma,” the case report says. Doctors intubated the patient and performed an electrocardiogram (ECG), a test that tracks electrical activity in the heart and allows doctors to find and diagnose heart problems.

Doctors noted that the patient didn’t have a history of experiencing chest pain or heart failure. “He had a poor diet, consisting primarily of several packages of candy daily; [three] weeks earlier, he had switched the type of candy he was eating,” the case report says.

It turns out, the patient stopped eating his usual fruit-flavored soft candy and instead switched to eating licorice-flavored candy. The licorice-flavored candy contained glycyrrhizic acid, which is converted to glycyrrhetinic acid after consumption. Glycyrrhetinic acid, in turn, inhibits the enzyme needed to convert cortisol into cortisone, along with the metabolism of other corticosteroids, leading to increased levels of cortisol in the kidneys, which can set off a whole slew of problems in the body.

The case study points out that the "unimpeded presence of cortisol can cause hypertension [high blood pressure], hypokalemia [low potassium levels], metabolic alkalosis [overly alkaline blood], fatal arrhythmias, and renal failure—the constellation of signs and symptoms seen in this patient."

This isn’t the first time black licorice has made headlines for the unique danger the candy poses: Health previously reported the FDA’s announcement that consuming two ounces of black licorice, specifically, each day for 14 days can lead to an irregular heart rhythm for adults 40 years of age and older—again due to glycyrrhizic acid's effect on the body.

An older study, published in 1993 in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, states that, the "lowest-obesrved-adverse-effect level" for glycyrrhizic acids is 100 mg, which equates to about 50 grams of licorice candies. By that approximation, researchers say "a daily intake of 10 mg glycyrrhizic acid would represent a safe dose for most healthy adults," which could equate to about 5 grams of the candies.

Sadly, the patient featured in the new NEJM case report died after suffering from cardiac arrest. The FDA says that, regardless of your age, you shouldn’t eat “large amounts of black licorice at any one time.” It also says to seek medical help immediately if you’ve been eating black licorice and you notice muscle weakness or an irregular heart rhythm. Additionally, talk to your doctor about whether you should eat black licorice at all if you take medication for any health condition, as the candy can interact with certain medications.

[Cronos]

Glycyrrhizic acid, or glycyrrhizin, a sweetening compound derived from licorice root, can cause a drop in potassium levels in the body, which in turn may cause high blood pressure, swelling, abnormal heart rhythms and even heart failure, according to the FDA.

People 40 or older should be especially vigilant about their black licorice consumption: even 2 ounces per day, over a two-week period, could cause irregular heart rhythm and may require hospitalization, the FDA cautions.

The negative effects of eating too much licorice are reversible, and wane when consumption is interrupted. A return to normal potassium levels may take one to two weeks, according to the study.

[LouieFisk]

If only he had kept his mask on he’d be alive today!

[ronnie raygun]

black licorice Racist, but since it was a white guy.........

[LouieFisk]

Red licorice also a killer treat or ?

[rob from twitter]

No. He died from covid.

/sarcasm

[rob from twitter]

Thank you for the warning. I’m a little peace freak sometimes. That explains things.

[rob from twitter]

Ruh ROH.

This darn phone changes words on me when I text. I’m a licorice freak sometimes. Not peace freak. Lol!

[Beagle8U]

“the “lowest-obesrved-adverse-effect level” for glycyrrhizic acids is 100 mg, which equates to about 50 grams of licorice candies. By that approximation, researchers say “a daily intake of 10 mg glycyrrhizic acid would represent a safe dose for most healthy adults,” which could equate to about 5 grams of the candies.”

Which means no more than dog squeezings in America where we don’t use the stupid metric system!

Did he eat 50 pounds of the $hit?

[princeofdarkness]

It’s time to ban black licorice! Do it for the children!/s

[Old Yeller]

Black Licorice Matters.

[Adder]

50 grams of licorice candies.

About 2 oz. A pound is 454 grams.

[Beagle8U]

I know how to convert stuff, my point is that we shouldn’t have to!

This is America and we don’t use the Metric system.

[Ikeon]

100mg is 1/10 of a gram. 50 grams is about 2 ounces. Its actually closer to 30 grams per ounce hope this helps.

[Adder]

Understood.

[HighSierra5]

One of a thousand ways to die. I wonder if that show is still on?

[albie]

Look for peaceful protests to start for failing to identify it as African American licorice.

[weezel]

I dont see how anyone eats that nasty stuff.

[Steamburg]

Next we need on on Water Intoxication and the corrosive nature of Oxygen. LOL. Licorice has been a natural medication for the last couple of millenia. It’s such a bummer when federal agencies think like lawyers.

[READINABLUESTATE]

Sounds more deadly than the dreaded hydroxychloroquine.

[HarleyD]

AHHHHHHHHHHHH....Red licorice apparently does the same thing!!!!!!

There goes my strawberry twizzlers.